A remote worker was rolling his eyes and huffing because I sat next to him with my toddler in a cafe while he took a video call – so I brutally shut him down

• A British mother slammed a remote worker who was ‘giving evil eyes’ to her  
• She told Mumsnet he was ‘rolling his eyes’ because she was there with toddler 
• READ MORE: I resent richer friends who can afford to take their children on better holidays than me

A mother has slammed people who think that ‘a coffee shop is the same as an office’ – as she hit out at a remote worker who was giving ‘evil eyes’ to her and her toddler.

The frustrated parent confronted the man who she claims was ‘rolling his eyes for about ten minutes’ during a video meeting, while she sat next to him with her child having breakfast in a busy cafe.

‘Toddler was being good as gold in my opinion,’ she said, detailing the story on popular UK forum Mumsnet. ‘I just had to turn to him and say, “Sorry but this is actually a cafe not an office, if you’re in a meeting and need silence you’re in the wrong place”.’

She said the Teams caller then ‘did a big huff, picked up his laptop and walked off trying to find a new table but had to come back as it was too busy’.

Most people flooded the comments with support, saying that if the man wanted silence he could ‘lock himself in his bathroom at home’, although others were more balanced and said they were both equally entitled to be there. 

A mother has slammed people who think that ‘a coffee shop is the same as an office’ – as she hit out at man on a Teams meeting giving ‘evil eyes’ to her and her toddler. Stock image used

Explaining her toddler wasn’t being naughty, she wrote: ‘I get sometimes they can be too loud or badly behaved but they were just sat drinking their juice and having a little babble and sing, occasionally pointing out things they seen. “Cup! Cup!”

‘Obviously louder than if I was just sat by myself but really not a disturbance and no louder than any other table of two chatting.’ 

The mother, under the username Swiftswatch, explained that she grew frustrated with the man’s attitude and felt compelled to say something.

‘Am I being unreasonable to think I’m not in the wrong here,’ the parent questioned. 

‘I’m really not a confrontational person and normally wouldn’t speak up, but a public cafe at breakfast time isn’t exactly the place to do a work meeting!

‘If people want to rave about working from home then go f**king work from home. 

‘People out in public don’t need to tiptoe around you because you want a change of scenery during the work day while you sit in meetings.’

The frustrated parent confronted the remote worker, who she claims was ‘rolling his eyes for about ten minutes’ while she sat with her child

Most people flooded the comments with support, hitting out that if the man wanted silence he can ‘lock himself in his bathroom at home’

‘Not at all unreasonable,’ one poster wrote. ‘It’s a public space, child friendly. Why shouldn’t you take your child to a cafe.’

A second chimed in: ‘If you want silence a cafe isn’t the place for it!’

‘No, you’re not in the wrong. If they want somewhere to work, they can rent a desk in a co-working space,’ a third added.

However, while majority of the comments where vehemently in support of the mother and toddler, a couple of users were more critical.

‘Well, unless the cafe has a specific no-laptop policy — which some do, especially the independent ones — neither you nor him are in there for the “wrong” reasons,’ one poster explained.

However, while majority of the comments where vehemently in support of the mother and toddler, a couple of users were more critical 

‘It’s all very easy to tell him to “go to the office” but he might not have an office.

‘He might be travelling for work. He might be between site meetings. Etc, etc, etc.

‘Like it or not, the world is changing and work is no longer confined to “the office”. 

‘Public spaces are for the public — this includes people with kids, but it includes people who are working too.

‘The answer is to all try to rub along together as best you can.’

Another comment also said the mother didn’t need to be ‘rude’ to the remote worker.

‘You and your toddler have every right to be in a coffee shop doing you and a two year old things at a reasonable volume, which you were,’ they wrote.

‘So there was absolutely no need for you to say anything.

‘Someone “rolling their eyes” is not a reason for to be rude. I think you were, when you spoke up instead of going about your perfectly reasonable business.’

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