We live in a strange world, and humans are known for pulling off the most bizarre things. From fighting over petty things to pathetic thefts, we have left no stone unturned. In fact, given people’s ability to pull off absurd shenanigans, I wonder if anything can even surprise us anymore.
Speaking of folks doing weird things, one person vented online about an office thief who kept stealing their food. When the robber was caught red-handed, he was asked to pay $70 for the stolen food, but he reacted so dramatically that the person considered taking action against him. Here’s what happened…
It’s funny how some people steal food from coworkers and think they’ll never get caught
But this person caught their office thief red-handed and, much to the thief’s shock, demanded a $70 reimbursement for the stolen food
Food theft in the office is more common than we can imagine
Imagine taking out time over the weekend and putting effort into meal prep for the week. Now imagine all that effort going down the drain when someone steals your food at work. Sounds infuriating, doesn’t it? But here’s the thing, while people are shocked by office food thievery, it’s more common than we can imagine.
In fact, following a rise in demand for secure office storage, Furniture At Work asked 1,000 Brits about office theft at their workplace. They found that 1 in 6 (17%) admitted to taking food from the communal fridge. It’s really strange how some people “confuse” a communal fridge with communal food and completely disregard that they are taking something that belongs to someone else.
We might question how these people have the audacity to pull off something so shameless. But Art Markman, PHD, Professor of Psychology and Marketing, offers an explanation.
“Human behavior is focused on doing things that feel right in the short term rather than things that feel right in the long term. If you need to eat right now, then available food will feel good to eat, even if it is wrong to take food from someone else.”
“People also tend to do what is easy for them to do in a particular environment. If you leave your new noise-canceling headphones out on your desk in a cubicle farm, you are making it easy for people to give in to the temptation to acquire a new pair of headphones without paying for them,” he adds.
Well, human psychology can be really confusing at times. It’s also baffling how these thieves keep repeating their behavior without shame or fear of getting caught. They probably believe that if they got away with it once, they might get away with it again.
Stealing food at work can ruin your reputation
Dan Schawbel, author of Back to Human and a career and workplace expert, told CNBC that lunch theft incidents can be even more costly for thieves, especially if it becomes prime-time office gossip. He stressed that people don’t forget it, and you see these people every day. Even without an official reprimand or action from management, a reputation for pilfering food may erode the thief’s standing in that workplace, Schawbel continued.
He also said this creates a situation where the person no longer fits the office culture. It becomes a trust issue. He noted that this person might never be promoted, or, when it’s bonus time, might not get a bonus.
According to Kate Palmer, HR Advice and Consultancy Director, “Food theft is a simple mistake, and it may not be necessary to involve HR. But if this keeps happening, employees should raise the issue with their employer, who can consider the best course of action.”
“If the employee knows who has taken their lunch, the employer could suggest that the employee has a quiet word with the person concerned, if they feel comfortable doing this. If this does not resolve the problem or if an individual continues to be targeted, this can make the matter more serious, and a disciplinary investigation may need to be carried out,” she added.
I think the author took the right steps by confronting the thief and asking for a reimbursement. It only sounds fair. But considering how the coworker dismissed them, they should really involve management. Netizens also suggested the same. What would you do in such a situation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Also, here’s another office drama that you might want to check out!
Netizens instantly sided with the author and advised them to report the thief
