At first, I was happy for my pregnant coworker. I helped when she felt sick—covering meetings, grabbing documents, even picking up lunch. I figured it was temporary.
But then things changed.
She began forwarding her tasks to me almost daily with notes like, “Baby brain today!” I told her to stop, but she laughed it off. Soon after, I walked into the office and found her sitting at my desk. She said she needed the space near the window because she felt nauseous.
That was my breaking point.
I left her a note asking to talk after work. Instead, she reported me to our manager for being “passive-aggressive.”
A few days later, HR called us in. I expected a fair discussion—but instead, I was told my tone was rude and that I should be more understanding because of her pregnancy. My note, apparently, made her feel “unsafe.”
Now I’ve been asked to apologize.
Worse, my coworkers have started avoiding me. People I used to talk to daily now treat me like I did something wrong.
I’m not against supporting someone during pregnancy—but where is the line between support and being taken advantage of?
Am I really the bad guy here?
