Entitled employee repeatedly steals coworker's meal prep, she worries about moving her lunch to her desk: 'He laughed it off'

3 months ago 23

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  • Multiple plastic containers of curry and rice with lime wedges on top of a counter

    Multiple plastic containers of curry and rice with lime wedges on top of a counter

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • This is how one young woman felt after her colleague repeatedly ate half or more of the lunches she had meal-prepped and left in the office refrigerator. She had labelled them as her own, and the coworker freely admitted to her that he had helped himself after she expressed confusion that her food seemed to be disappearing.

    She had added to the label on her container, specifying that it was not to be touched. He continued eating and told her not to take it so seriously when she brought it up again. It had got to a point where she was considering storing her food in a cool box on her desk, but she wondered if that would be taking things too far.

  • Would I be wrong if I stopped letting my coworker "borrow" my lunch from the office fridge?

    So basically I (24F) started meal prepping about two months ago because I was tired of spending money on takeout every day.

  • I make these big portions of pasta or rice bowls on Sundays, pack them in labeled containers and leave them in the shared fridge at work.

  • The labeling thing is important because our fridge situation is a mess and stuff disappears all the time.

  • About three weeks ago I noticed my Tuesday container was half eaten. I thought maybe I miscounted or something so I let it go.

  • Then it happened again the following week, and this time like 2/3 of my chicken rice bowl was gone.

  • A women wearing athleisure smiles as she prepares something on a kitchen counter

    A woman smiles as she prepares something on a kitchen counter

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • I asked around quietly and my colleague Jake (27M) basically shrugged and said "oh yeah sorry I was starving and forgot my lunch, I figured you wouldnt mind since you always have so much." He said it so casually like it was completley normal.

  • I was kind of stunned so I just nodded and walked away. Since then he's done it at least four more times and never once asked or offered to replace anything.

  • Last week I printed a bigger label that said "DO NOT TOUCH -personal lunch" and he still ate half my pasta.

  • I mentioned it again and he laughed it off saying "come on its just food." Now im thinking about bringing a small lunchbox cooler and keeping it at my desk. instead of the fridge.

  • Jake sits two desks away from me and we have to collaborate on projects regularly so I really dont want things to get weird, but also I worked hard on that food and Im genuinely hungry by noon when half of it is gone.

  • My other coworkers think I should just confront him directly but honestly the two times I brought it up he just brushed me off so I doubt that would change anything.

  • Would I be the a- hole if I just quietly moved my lunch to my desk

  • A man wearing glasses looks down into an open refrigerator

    A man looks down into an open refrigerator 

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • MaryHadALittleLamb20 Put a large sign on the fridge "Jake please stop helping yourself to my lunch, you need to buy your own"

  • Foodielicious843 NTA. You have repeatedly asked him to stop. He continues to stomp over your request. Since he openly admitted to it, go to HR. And make sure you ask for compensation for your eaten lunches

  •  "Don't touch my food. I pay for it, I prep it, it's mine and I haven't offered it to you. If it happens again I'll report the theft to HR." Go nuclear or he'll keep taking your lunch and laughing it off. If it makes things awkward that's on him.

  • SuicideSqurral I worked at a company that this happened at, lunches were being taken everyday. It turned it was a VP taking the lunches. His reasoning was his time was more important than the lowly people he stole the lunch from. The company was privately owned and the owner fired the VP and told the office if he is stealing from fellow employees, how could he be sure he was not stealing from the owner

  • SnooDingos9147 It's THEFT - GO TO HR!!!!!!

  • FarmerDave13 Time for HR. Ask them what their theft policy is. Then let them know who and what is going on.

  • Financial_Room_8362 He is being nonchalant about it because you haven't made a fuss about it. So as long as you don't make an issue he won't stop

  • Wild_Alternative_138 He's spreading his gross germs all over in your food. Tell him to his face in front of everyone, to STOP eating your food. Tell him if he does it again, you will go to HR. Then you must secure your food safely so he can't spit in it or something equally awful. Or, you can talk to him and tell him that for X amount of money, to cover your costs, time and efforts, you will prepare a container for him to eat. Either way he has to pay up or stop.

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