I told my colleagues their project was terrible. Should I have kept quiet?

June 5, 2026 — 3:07am

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Some of my workmates were part of a subcommittee working on an internal project. I wasn’t asked to be involved and was not privy to many details. After some time, I was asked for my opinion after being shown what they had come up with so far. I asked if the team wanted my honest opinion, and I got an enthusiastic yes.

I told them what I thought: essentially, that the whole idea was unimaginative and trite. This was not taken well at all. Now I seem to be persona non grata among several colleagues I used to have friendships with. Should I have just kept my mouth shut?

I have to admit, I snorted when I read your full email. After I had a moment to take a breath, I could sympathise with your colleagues, who might have felt that their hours of work were vaporised in seconds by your scalding assessment.

But that sympathy doesn’t run very deep, and on further reflection, I still think there’s something laughable about excitedly asking for someone’s true opinion and then instantly rejecting it. And the person who provided it.

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