Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Paige Freshwater

'I've been calling my coworker by the wrong name for 2 years - I'm mortified'

Starting a new job is exciting, but it can also be extremely daunting while you try to find your feet and settle in.

And one of the biggest stresses can be trying to remember all your new coworkers' names.

That's exactly what one woman struggled with when starting her new job two years ago - and she's only now realising she made an awful mistake on her first day.

Taking to Reddit to share her embarrassment, the woman admitted she's just realised that she's been calling her coworker by the wrong name for two years.

The woman ended up apologising to her co-worker about the mix-up (stock photo) (Getty Images/Westend61)

The woman explained how she even introduced all new staff members to the co-worker in question as 'Jim' - causing even more people to go along with her mistake.

It wasn't until an older colleague casually asked her why she calls him Jim that she realised her error.

She said on Reddit: "He even responds when I call him Jim. He never corrected me for two years. I've introduced five coworkers to him as Jim about a year and half ago.

"I didn't realise my mistake until a fellow, older coworker asked me, 'Why does everyone call him Jim?' I said, Isn't that his name?' He goes, 'No, it's Tim. Is there an inside joke I don't know about?"

After a small panic, she decided to be honest with him about the matter.

The woman learned of her mistake through a colleague (stock photo) (Morsa Images/Getty Images)

Thankfully, her colleague was simply grateful to finally understand why everyone had been calling him by the wrong name.

She continued: "I confronted him about it. [I said] 'Hey Tim! I'm so sorry I've been calling you Jim this entire time. I just found out your name was Tim yesterday.'

"[He responded] 'Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal. Besides everyone here seems to call me Jim.'

"He didn't really care. I hope I wasn't the one that started the whole Jim thing."

While most users couldn't help but laugh at her mistake, others shared stories of their own mix-ups and how they managed to resolve them.

One user said: "I have two coworkers that I thought were the same person for six months.

"They have the same body frame/petite size, similar clothing and hair styles, and most importantly same droopy eyes. Our small talks were never personal enough to raise questions.

"Imagine me questioning my mentality at the company party..."

Another user added: "Get him a cake that says 'Sorry for calling you Jim. You can be mad at me, but not at this cake. Hope you like chocolate, Tim'."

A third user said: "I'm cringing for this guy being too non-confrontational to correct you.

"I have a difficult name so sometimes I don't care enough to correct people but if I know I'm gonna see them every day I always make sure they get it right."

Do you have a story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.