A new employee's conversation with a senior colleague sparked an online debate about workplace etiquette. The newcomer asked about the budget for a team outing and the senior's exact appraisal percentage, causing discomfort.
A new employee's first conversation with a senior colleague has sparked a lively discussion online after the interaction quickly moved from casual workplace talk to questions about money and appraisals. The incident was shared by techie Ojas Sharma on X after several new employees joined his company and began getting familiar with their teams and managers.
According to Ojas, one of the newcomers was initially talking with teammates about the company's technology stack. Ojas happened to be nearby and introduced himself during the conversation. What followed, however, caught him completely off guard.
The new employee asked a senior colleague, whom he had met only minutes earlier, whether the project had enough budget for a team outing. While such a question may have seemed unexpected, the conversation took a more personal turn when the newcomer asked the senior about his appraisal rate.
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The senior reportedly replied that his appraisal was in the double digits. Instead of leaving it there, the new employee asked him to disclose the exact percentage. The senior's response reflected his apparent discomfort with the increasingly personal questions, as he asked whether he should show the newcomer his paycheck.
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Ojas said he was left “in absolute shock” by the exchange, suggesting that some questions may not be appropriate when meeting a colleague for the first time.
The incident soon triggered a broader conversation on X about workplace etiquette, boundaries and how new employees should approach conversations with senior colleagues. One user humorously suggested that the newcomer might have had “internal connections” at the company, given the confidence with which the questions were asked.
Another user said the response should depend on the employee's experience. If the newcomer were a fresher, they believed the behaviour could be corrected through guidance on professional etiquette. If the person were experienced, however, they said they would prefer to maintain some distance.
A third user offered a more sympathetic perspective, arguing that criticism of younger employees could sometimes be excessive and that the newcomer may simply have been very young and unfamiliar with workplace boundaries.
The unusual first-day conversation has therefore opened up a relatable debate about curiosity, professionalism and knowing where to draw the line when discussing salaries and appraisals at work.
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