Sometimes the simplest question can land at the worst possible moment.

One restaurant worker learned this firsthand when he casually asked the head chef if he was alright during a slow shift.

That’s when the boss took the question as a personal jab instead of wholesome concern and completely flipped out.

You’ll want to keep reading for this one.

AITA for asking my boss if he was feeling alright?

I work in a restaurant.

Last night during a slow shift, my boss (who is also the head chef) came back into the kitchen sighing and doing other things to signify that something was wrong.

So, like a caring employee, he innocently asked what was wrong.

I simply asked him, “Are you alright, man?” which to me seems like a basic and innocuous question.

I immediately noticed his disposition toward me change, as if I offended him.

The vibe completely shifted.

He replied with, “Are you alright?”

To which I replied yes.

He followed up with, “That seems like a very random question to ask.”

At this point, I realized that I had offended him.

I told him I meant nothing by it.

This had clearly shaken the boss in some way.

He replied with “Okay” in a very dismissive tone and walked away.

About 15 minutes later, I pulled him aside and clarified that my intention was not to offend him if I did.

This seem to only make matters worse.

He said that he was offended and went on a five-minute rant about all the stresses and responsibilities he has had to deal with in the last few months.

He said that me asking that question at that moment was rude and inconsiderate.

The boss continued to completely misconstrue the employee’s intentions.

He also told me to “read the room” and said that he felt I asked the question in a ******-up way.

How is asking someone if they’re okay a bad thing?

I understand that it might not have been the best time, but how was I to know that?

I’ve only been there for a month.

Now the whole situation put a bad taste in the employee’s mouth.

In hindsight, he was obviously already frustrated, and I feel he used me and my question as an outlet for his stress.

He also asked why I was bringing this up again.

I told him that I wanted to clarify that I meant nothing by the question.

The boss responded gruffly once again.

To which he replied, “Okay, then drop it,” with an attitude, as if I was trying to create a problem in the first place.

He seemed very emotional about it, which I’m sure is due to his stress levels.

AITA?

This boss definitely has something going on.

What did Reddit think?

“Reading the room” is exactly what this employee did in the first place.

A slight wording change could have yielded a different outcome.

Reading the room goes both ways.

It’s best to not take this situation personally.

Maybe this boss doesn’t have what it takes to be in charge.

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.