Recognition at work is usually something people are happy to receive.

So, what would you do if your company wanted to give you an award, but the nomination came from coworkers instead of clients, and you felt the reasons didn’t really match the purpose of the award? Would you accept it anyway? Or would you consider turning it down?

In the following story, one employee finds himself in this situation and is leaning toward the latter.

WIBTAH for not accepting an award at work?

Where I work, we have a service award that clients can give us for really going above & beyond for them. I have been nominated for one…by my coworkers. I don’t feel that it means the same coming from coworkers as from clients.

HR says that they have been asked several times about me being allowed to receive the award prior to this.

They forwarded me the applications that people have filled out to give me the award over the years, for similar reasons to the person who most recently nominated me. I’ve read through all of them. None of them is about outstanding service or being good in my field.

Instead, they’re all about times when I’ve done things, a lot of them very small, to help my coworkers out when I saw that they were having a hard day.

The whole thing makes him uncomfortable.

Mostly, it was just basic respectful behavior. I don’t feel like anything mentioned in any of the applications, taken singly or together, actually rises to the level of deserving recognition.

The thing is, HR told me that the most recent coworker to recommend me wants to present me with the award at a special meeting.

I’m not comfortable receiving an award that I don’t really deserve. I’m not comfortable receiving a special presentation of said award.

Is there a way to refuse the award without being a jerk, but also to let my coworkers know that I appreciate them thinking about me?

AITA?

Yikes! Most people would jump at this opportunity.

Let’s check out what the folks over at Reddit think about this question.

This person thinks he should read up on Dolly Parton.

Here’s a good point.

For this reader, he just needs to accept it.

As this comment points out, he should appreciate that people want to do it.

He needs to get out of his feelings and just accept the award.

Not doing so makes him look bad.

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.