As I took up my usual spot at the bar, I couldn’t help but notice that my drinking companion for the evening was already downing whiskeys at a rate that put me to shame.
But after hearing her story, I could not blame her. This banker was just back from a business trip to Malaysia where, on her first day of meetings with a new client, she turned up wearing a rather close fitting dress. Then, as she circulated around the room, shaking hands with all the executives, one asked her when she was "due".
Caught off guard by this rather unexpected question, she asked the man to repeat himself. He quickly responded with a large smile: “Your baby, when is it due?” To make things worse, others in the room then began adding their congratulations.
My friend, who was most certainly not pregnant, was mortified. However, to avoid embarrassing her new client, she made up a due date and accepted everyone's good wishes.
But to compound her discomfort, the poor woman had to spend the rest of the week being offered chairs and kind words, while also having to avoid drinking at dinners for the sake of her “unborn child”. It was no wonder then that she spent her first evening back in Hong Kong guzzling drinks on my tab.
Bankers may go further than many when they decide to take one for the team — but imagine if her new clients check in on the baby after its “birth”.