21 January 2024 , 12:29
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An employee is furious after a colleague continues to steal her lunch at work - but her boss has defended the thief.
On a particularly tough work morning, many of us look forward to tucking into the lunch we have brought for that day. But lunch theft from the work kitchen is a whole new level of violation. It makes you think twice about the people you sit beside every day.
One individual explained how they take noodles every day into work, but they keep going missing. Unusually, rather than bringing in their own food, the thieving colleague eats the noodles and then replaces them with a new pot from a different brand. The lunch stealer only acts when her colleague is particularly busy and has not had time to stop and eat.
Taking to Mumsnet, the individual, who wishes to remain unnamed, explained: "I have a colleague who takes my noodles if I hadn't had time to stop and eat that day, and she replaces them the following morning with a Pot Noodle (argh). The noodles in question are a Korean brand, and very tasty. You can actually get them in B&M. What on earth do I do? She isn't one to cross - the thief. She is quite vocal and a higher band who could make me miserable if she so chose to do so."
The frustrated employee took the issue to her manager but seemingly got nowhere. They added: "I told my manager who said we like to 'give and take' in this department and was it really such a huge deal? I said she isn't replacing what I got though. Am I being unreasonable?"
'I don't want children staying up late at weekends - I really need adult time'
The dilemma raked in several responses - with many branding the manager's behaviour as inappropriate and suggesting the worker lock up her lunch. One individual said: "Your manager's response is ridiculous, they weren't hers to take. Although if in a communal area, does she think she has free reign? Can you store them somewhere safe like your desk drawer?"
Another suggested: "Stop leaving your noodles in a location she can access. Put them in your locked drawers at your desk or in your bag." Someone else added: "It's a bit strange that she takes them then goes to the effort of getting a pot noodle to replace them."
One other Mumsnet user commented: "I'm not a noodle expert, but I think she is replacing your noodles with what in her head is a better, more expensive option. I would just buy several packs of noodles, put them in your shared space, tell her you like those (from B&M), not Pot Noodle and tell her she is welcome to help herself and just replace like for like what she eats. Still keep a pack in your desk in case in case she eats them all."
Do you agree? Share your thoughts in the comments below.