Employee Gets The Heat When Caught Lying To Avoid Driving Disabled Coworker Home

The workplace should be a safe and inclusive environment for all employees, regardless of their backgrounds or abilities. Unfortunately, it's not always easy for individuals to navigate social situations, especially when they have different needs or face unique challenges. This is particularly true for individuals on the autism spectrum, who may experience heightened levels of anxiety or discomfort in social interactions. Recently, an employee was caught lying to avoid driving an autistic coworker home because she didn't feel comfortable with a stranger in his car. This resulted in criticism from her manager, who felt that she had acted unprofessionally. She came to this subreddit r/AmItheAsshole to tell people what happened and asked if her action was unacceptable.
While telling lies is never a right thing to do, it's essential to view this case through a lens of empathy and understanding. OP (Original Poster) later revealed that she also has mental struggles, and this adds another layer of complexity to the situation. Scroll down for the full story and let us know what you think!

OP started by asking other Redditors if she was an *sshole.

Source: Medium-Raisin-1382

OP explained that she had an autistic coworker named Frank whose mom drives him to and from work. She made it clear that she is also autistic.

Source: Medium-Raisin-1382

Last week, his mom couldn't pick him up on time. No one was willing to drive Frank home, including OP. Everyone was expecting OP to help him.

Source: Medium-Raisin-1382

OP came up with a lie. She was not comfortable with having a stranger in her car. Her manager found out and expressed her anger and disappointment about OP.

Source: Medium-Raisin-1382

Op added more details.

Source: Medium-Raisin-1382

Members of this subreddit have left several comments below OP's post. Most of them believe OP was not a terrible coworker and her boss had no rights to tell her what to do.

Source: Medium-Raisin-1382

Source: Medium-Raisin-1382

Source: Medium-Raisin-1382

Source: Medium-Raisin-1382

Source: Medium-Raisin-1382

Source: Medium-Raisin-1382

From this story, we can learn that everyone is going through something only they know. Some people tend to judge others from what they see instead of trying to understand what leads to their actions. Especially in the workplace where employees come from diverse background with different abilities and challenges, it's hard to sympathize with someone you hardly met before in a short time. It's advised that employers should offer training and education on how to create a more inclusive work environment, as well as provide accommodations to ensure that all employees feel comfortable and supported in their roles.