‘Unprofessional’: Classic Aussie phrase offending people in 2024

A retail worker has been left baffled after a customer claimed a classic Aussie phrase was “unprofessional” to use at work.

A retail worker has been left “completely puzzled” after a customer told her not to use a classic Aussie phrase on the job.

The worker, who has been in retail for almost five years, was serving a customer at a fruit and vegetable store with an attached deli, when she was pulled up for using the word “mate”.

Her father recounted the baffling exchange in a post on Reddit, revealing his daughter came home from work “completely puzzled and confused” after the customer claimed the term was “unprofessional”.

During the exchange, the customer asked the worker: “‘Can I tell you something? Please don’t call me mate”.

“She apologised with ‘I’m so sorry if I have offended you’,” her dad wrote in the post.

The customer then claimed: “It’s unprofessional to use that word in the workplace”.

“My daughter works at a fruit and vegetable and deli shop,” her dad explained.

“She’s pretty sure the customer was also Australian which added to her being more confused.

“When did the word ‘mate’ become unprofessional?”

He later explained that his daughter had just been trying to be “polite and courteous”, and despite trying to apologise ended up “deflated” and now “won’t use any titles” out of fear of offending someone.

The worker was told the common phrased was “unprofessional”. Picture: iStock

Many online shared in the confusion, agreeing there was no issue using the “friendly” and “warm” Aussie phrase.

“I’m a nurse and all my patients are mate … I think old mate needs to chill out,” one person wrote.

“Woah what an over-reaction. I use mate all the time, I’m female in my mid-30s. If someone said ‘hey mate how can I help?’ I wouldn’t even blink. And I’d say ‘thanks mate’ too! Anyone finding this odd, that’s on them. What a strange thing to pull someone up for!” said another.

“I’m delighted if I’m ever addressed as ‘mate’ by a retail worker. I instantly warm to them,” another wrote.

“It’s casual, but it’s not unprofessional or rude. Australian culture is a casual culture. Customers who find the word ‘mate’ problematic are looking for something to whinge about,” added another.

“I bet that customer would not say that to an old bloke behind the counter,” another claimed.

One retail worker said she had been chastised over the same issue.

“I had a customer say ‘I’m not your f***ing mate’ to me when I simply asked, ‘would you like to add some patio clips to your order mate?’ I was (a 22-year-old female) and this was a tradie maybe in his late 40s (had worked there for one year and 99 per cent of the traditional customers called me mate or liked that I called them mate and had friendly banter),” she explained.

Some argued ‘mate’ is a friendly and warm term to call a customer. Picture: Getty

However, some agreed with customer, saying mate wasn’t a professional term to use in a workplace.

“Yeah ‘mate’ is informal and doesn’t reflect the retail relationship very well. Conversely ‘my friend’ is popular and rarely found offensive, yet equally informal,” one person suggested.

“I would consider being called ‘mate’ unprofessional personally (always has been IMHO). But wouldn’t think beyond the moment about it,” another said.

Others argued the phrase – while unprofessional – was appropriate given the setting.

“‘Mate’ has not at any time ever been considered ‘professional language’. Having said that, she’s in a deli, not a corporate lawyer’s office!” on person wrote.

“(She should have said) “I am not a ‘professional’ I work in a fruit and veg shop. Mate. When I finish my law degree I will be a professional and will cease using the word, ‘Mate’,” said another.

“It’s a deli. If the workers don’t call customers love, sweetie, mate, darl, or the like they violate a longstanding tradition,” another wrote.

“It’s not like you’re meeting the royal family on a lawn with cucumber sandwiches and the PM in tow or trying to impress a magistrate.”