Middle-aged man asks how to approach a colleague who owes him lunch money

SINGAPORE: A middle-aged man took to social media asking for advice on how he could claim back lunch money from his colleagues.

The man wrote that he often goes for lunch with his colleagues, which would involve him footing the bill first, and then claiming each person’s tab later on. “We all take turns to pay usually – and when I say “We” they are not the same people most of the time, hence the “need” to hang out at better places to have a better ambience to chat. I will usually check how much is my share, and immediately paynow or return cash to the paying colleague (incl of the taxes)”, he wrote.

He added that when it is his turn to pay, he would often have colleagues forgetting to pay him back. “To put the situation into a better context, we are all middle aged adults drawing an average of 5-fig salary, but to me it is still money – though the bill can range between $15-$25. And because we are all adults of certain level and payscale, it seems (very) petty enough of me to ask them about the owed lunch money, worse still we dont really meet daily”, he wrote in an anonymous post to popular confessions page NUSWhispers.

The man then asked how he should approach someone to ask for money in situations like these. He said that while it may initially be a small amount, it adds up and he should not have to forget about it. “How will you approach for someone to pay you back in such a situation? While it can be deemed a small amount, it definitely is not , especially if this happens more than once, and it is also a matter of principle when it comes to such”, he wrote in his post.

Here’s what netizens said:

Earlier this year, a woman who has had a crush on her colleague for almost two years took to social media after finding out that he has even dated a friend of hers.

In an anonymous post to popular confessions page SGWhispers, the woman wrote that she and the man “have a direct and very close working relationship. He is charismatic and caring but sometimes can be quite immature. I am drawn to his loyalty towards his friends and the people whom he cared a lot. And I see past all his flaws. He is him and I accept everything about him despite it can be quite triggering sometimes. He is very nice towards me but he gets very emotional at times”.

She has tried to convince herself to move on and just to remain friends with the man in order to maintain a good working relationship but “am confused because the urge to risk it all and confess to him is getting stronger each day. Somehow I feel that I am not his type based on the girls / exes he has shown interest in. If I were to confess, am sure he will either upfront rejects me or leave me in a limbo because he fears of hurting me. Either ways, I know things will never be the same and we can never look at each other the same way again”, she wrote.

Woman reveals she had feelings for her colleague for 2 years, finds out he has even dated her friend