Clueless Guy Demands Coworker Not Say "Hey" To Him In Text Message

Texting etiquette between coworkers is a weird science that nobody has truly mastered. Professionalism is an admirable goal, but act too professional, and you can come off as stiff and unlikeable to your colleagues. Generally, a good rule of thumb is to start as professional as possible and read the room, gauging the vibe of different coworkers. However, not everyone will be satisfied with your communication style, as some people are still firmly in the 1800s regarding workplace etiquette.

Posted by Emmy Ward

Meet Shreyas, a Reddit user who posted a screenshot of texts he received from his coworker, Sandeep, who was shocked by his alleged unprofessionalism.

This absurd demand dumbfounded Shreyas. While he didn't clarify whether Sandeep was his boss, a colleague, or someone who worked under him, Sandeep's claim that "hey" is unacceptable to address a coworker over text is bananas. Shreyas asked the people of r/antiwork, "How do you react to this? and how the hell is Hey [not] professional?" Fortunately for him, the Redditors had creative solutions to his dilemma.

Redditors were quick to point out that Sandeep wasn't terribly professional in his messages: using emojis, having misplaced commas, and using veiled threats.

Situations like these can be so annoying, especially when you feel there's nobody to complain to about absurd demands in the workplace. That's why commiserating in online communities is so cathartic. There could be 99 people in the room who don't believe "hey" is an inappropriate greeting in the workplace and one person in the room who does. And those 99 people believe that that one person is an idiot. And guess what? They're right.