Workplace romances are not uncommon. In a 2024 Forbes survey, 50% of the respondents admitted to flirting with their coworkers. Usually, people find love at work because it’s convenient. They either don’t have time to date outside of work or naturally develop feelings for colleagues they spend much of their day with.

However, there’s the other side of the coin: unwanted attention and unsolicited flirtations. Like what happened to this woman. She thought she was being friendly, but her coworker was spending time with her in pursuit of something more. When he found out she wasn’t available because of her religion, he got mad. Feeling guilty, the woman started wondering whether she was in the wrong, so she decided to consult with others online.

Unrequited feelings for a coworker can lead to an awkward relationship

Image credits: micens / envato (not the actual photo)

This woman found out the hard way that some colleagues might misconstrue amicable behavior

Image credits: Collab Media / pexels (not the actual photo)

Image credits: OkAsk4646

Many religious people still feel like they need to hide their beliefs in the workplace

Image credits: Cedric Fauntleroy / pexels (not the actual photo)

Religion is one of the topics HR experts suggest not bringing up at work. It’s up to every individual, of course, whether to do it or not. Yet research shows that people who do it face discrimination and social exclusion. And it doesn’t matter which major religion you subscribe to — Christians, Jews, and Muslims all experience discrimination, albeit in different ways.

Researchers at Rice University found in 2022 that Jews and Muslims “felt targeted by anti-Islamic and antisemitic rhetoric tied to being seen as part of a larger group.” Christians claimed that people often perceived them as narrow-minded, judgmental, and/or right-leaning on the political spectrum.

The Muslims and Jews the researchers interviewed were the most likely to hide their religious views. Many said they had uncomfortable interactions at work because of their religious attire or holidays. The co-author of the study, Deidra Coleman, explained that marginalized groups feel the need to conceal their identity. “It’s a proactive way to ‘manage’ anticipated religious discrimination, but it can have negative impacts on one’s mental health.”

Similarly in this story, the coworker had predisposed notions about what Muslim women are like. “Arabic girls are the biggest teases since we would never actually date a white boy,” the author claimed he said. The unwanted romantic advances aside, it’s a prime example of how people stereotype individuals of certain religions.

Legally, no colleague or supervisor has the right to discriminate against another on the basis of religion. Provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibit “harassing or otherwise discriminating” employees because of their religious affiliation. Granted, most examples listed in the provision have to do with firing or giving less desirable assignments, so religious people still face more nuanced forms of discrimination.

Men misinterpret niceness as sexual interest more often than women do

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo)

It’s a tale as old as time: one person mistakes friendly behavior for romance. Many studies in the past have found that men misperceive friendliness as sexual advances more often than women. A study in 1982 revealed that 70% of female college students have dealt with men who mistook amicable behavior as a come-on. Only 50% of male students said they’ve been in the same situation.

Granted, it can and does happen to anyone, regardless of gender. People usually misconstrue nonverbal and verbal cues such as smiling, standing close, complimenting, or touching one’s arm. And it does go both ways. In 2014, researchers found that women misinterpret men’s behavior, too. When men are showing sexual interest, women read it as friendliness.

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The author of the research, Mons Bendixen of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, says that it might not seem that groundbreaking, especially when many other studies have proved this over the years. What’s interesting, he says, is that this shows misunderstanding mixed signals is a worldwide phenomenon. “Our results are identical to a study done in the USA,” he explained. “Even though Norway is one of the most gender-equal, sexually liberal countries in the world.”

Recently, scientists pinpointed the factors that lead to men misinterpreting a woman’s interest. It turns out it has to do with what the woman is wearing and her facial expression. When a woman is wearing sexually appealing clothing, men are more likely to think that she’s showing interest. Even if she displays disinterest in her facial expressions.

The author of the study, Ingo Landwehr, says that participants who failed to read these nonverbal cues correctly are more inclined to show misogynistic tendencies. “It sheds light on the opinions such men hold about women and whether they view them as equals or more as means to a (sexual) end.”

The woman explained that giving her coworker the wrong idea was never her intention

People defended the woman, saying that all the colleagues were acting like jerks here

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