A Team Leader 12 Years Older Says "Age Is Just a Number" While Making a Move on a New Female Employee

A New Employee Confessed to by a Boss 12 Years Older
"I Want to Reject, but I'm Afraid of Retaliation"

A story of a young employee confessing that she was confessed to by a boss 12 years her senior has come to light.

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On the 5th, a post titled "I was confessed to by a team leader 12 years older than me" was uploaded on an online community. As of 9 a.m. on the 9th, the post had garnered 198,000 views and 800 recommendations, becoming a hot topic. The author, A, who revealed that she recently started her social life at the age of 26, began by saying, "After two years of job preparation following university graduation, I joined the company I wanted."

A explained, "Like other new employees, I was full of enthusiasm at first and promised to work hard, and I tried to be courteous to my colleagues and superiors," adding, "However, the 38-year-old team leader, who is 12 years older than me, kept approaching me privately, talking to me or inviting me to dinner."

Feeling uncomfortable, A said, "I tried to be as polite as possible and indirectly declined," adding, "He is neither my age nor my type, and I had no intention of dating within the company." However, the team leader's affection toward A was not something that could be stopped by rejection. A revealed, "Yesterday on my way home, the team leader quietly called me and asked if I was willing to meet," adding, "I was embarrassed, and he told me to think about it, but I am afraid of retaliation if I refuse my superior."

A said, "(The team leader) told me that age difference is just a number," adding, "I do not think so, and I have no intention of dating a superior in the same company." She continued, "It is a company I worked hard to join, so it feels like a waste to quit," adding, "I found it hard to face the team leader today as well, so I took a half-day off and came home. I wonder what I should do."

Netizens who read the story responded with comments such as, "It would be good to use a recorder 24 hours a day," "If age difference is just a number, ask how he feels about dating someone 12 years older," "I would probably report it," "Firmly reject him, and if he still persists, report to HR," "It’s a sad reality that such things happen often," and "The phrase 'age difference is just a number' should be legally banned from being used by older people."

This is not the first time someone has been troubled by a confession from a workplace superior. According to a survey conducted last August by the marriage information company Gayeon targeting unmarried men and women, the highest response rate for the "most awkward confession" was "a confession from a superior (58.2%)." The survey also found that women responded more frequently than men that a confession from a superior was awkward.