Luca Cicioni was on his first day working for an Auckland branch of roofing company Gerard Roofs when he discovered how easily his usual terms of endearment could be considered inappropriate.
Mr Cicioni, who comes from the city of Perugia, north of Rome, was on a lunch break when he became a bit lost. Approaching the first person he came across, he greeted her with "hi darling, can you help me?".
Little did he know the woman was the manager who'd hired him from his temp agency. He said she became visibly angry, challenged him and told him he'd be in trouble with the management.
"She asked me what I said and told me 'I'm not your darling'."
But Mr Cicioni, who's here on a working holiday, said he never meant any disrespect and wished she had just told him that such greetings weren't appropriate.
"I was just trying to be nice."
Mr Cicioni admitted his subsequent response might have come across as a bit rude.
"I answer, just for say, aye keep calm ... I'm just trying to be nice," he said. "Maybe she felt I was a little bit rude in my answer."
Nevertheless, Mr Cicioni believed it was all just a case of being lost in translation. "She just needed to tell me 'it's not nice ... it's rude', then I say 'sorry'."
The next day, Mr Cicioni said, he was told he was no longer needed as he didn't fit the bill. He said they used "bad communication" and "bad English" as the main reasons for not wanting him back.
The Italian, who spoke English well enough to be interviewed for the Herald, disputed he wasn't fit for the job as a forklift driver.
He had a forklift licence, owned a forklift that he regularly used at home in Italy and while he admitted his English wasn't perfect, said it was understandable.
Mr Cicioni believed the "hi darling" greeting to the manager was the key reason for his dismissal.
His recruiter denied that was the case, but acknowledged the roofing company had complained about the comment and Mr Cicioni's communication skills.
Gerard Roofs would not comment on the specifics of Mr Cicioni's case, but regional general manager for New Zealand Caz Jackson said the company had an open and welcoming environment which valued diversity. "We do not discriminate against employees based on gender, ethnicity, nationality or sexuality," she said. As a manufacturing plant they had "very clear" expectations in regards to health and safety. "We require all employees, contractors and temporary staff to adhere to these standards at all times for their own safety and safety of others."
Mr Cicioni, who lives in a Ponsonby apartment with his girlfriend, was worried he might not be able to get another job to fund his travels and was disappointed he wasn't given a chance to prove himself.
