The Group Chat Meltdown

Photo by Ed Yourdon, CC BY-SA 2.0

It was supposed to go to the "close friends" chat: a fully unfiltered rant about a coworker's habit of scheduling meetings that could have been an email. Every uncharitable thought, typed at full speed, no punctuation, several typos, complete honesty.

It went to the work chat instead. The one with the coworker in it.

The first sign of trouble was the read receipts. Then the total silence, which somehow felt louder than any response could have been. Then, four unbearable minutes later, a single thumbs-up emoji from the coworker in question — which remains, to this day, impossible to interpret.

An apology was issued. It was accepted with what can only be described as professional, slightly terrifying grace. Meetings that could have been an email have, notably, continued.

Lessons Learned

• Check the chat name. Then check it again.
• A thumbs-up can mean anything. That's the horror of it.
• Some grudges are better vented to a group chat with zero relevant witnesses.