Seriously I see these posts all the time about people who have a co-worker who steals food so they make gross food to ‘get back at them’ cause HR doesn’t do anything.

Legit question but how do you not just freak out and yell at the person? If a co-worker stole my food the 1st time I’d yell at them and curse them out, the 2nd time I’d threaten to shove the food in their fat face next time I see it happen. If HR didn’t do anything I’d threaten to quit and sue if they claimed I don’t get EI because it’s a toxic work environment.

I just don’t get how people are so passive when co-workers literally steal from them? I’d be fucking livid.

  • Sc00ter@lemm.ee
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    4 hours ago

    Yall dealing with people stealing food? Ive worked in an office setting for almost 20 years and ive not once ever heard of someone taking someone elses food

  • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
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    6 hours ago

    Because that’s not how the corporate world works. You want to freak out and yell at them? Go ahead. Maybe they don’t eat someone else’s food for a week. Meanwhile you’ll be hunting for a new job. You threaten another employee? You’ll be lucky to be employed at the end of the day.

    Life is a series of tradeoffs. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Tim may steal food, but that doesn’t mean it’s throwing off the status quo. You yell at Tim, you’re upsetting the status quo. So go ahead, and have fun with your pink slip. Hope it was worth it.

    Or you can keep your lunch at your desk.

    • Azal@pawb.social
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      6 hours ago

      Good lord this makes me happy I’ve not worked in corporate and stayed in blue collar work.

      Someone steals food in a shop, that someone’s gonna have a bad day and the boss yells at anyone “whining”, including the guy who got his ass kicked.

  • davel [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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    7 hours ago

    Maybe because the only co-worker food theft stories that get upvoted and therefore seen are the dramatic ones about passive-aggressively making gross food for the food thief. And who knows how many of them are true stories and how many are creative writing projects for internet points.

  • Vanth@reddthat.com
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    4 hours ago

    If they’re any good at it, you won’t know who stole your food. If I did know who the thief was, yelling/cursing/threatening would get me fired. It’s easier to keep my food at my desk in an insulated lunchbox with an ice pack.

    And finally, HR doesn’t give a flying fuck about your lunch. They would laugh in your face if you threatened to sue them.

  • Luke@lemmy.ml
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    2 hours ago

    I think I’d just bring extra food the next day so both I and they can eat. Clearly someone isn’t able to bring their own food for whatever reason, and I can’t really blame them for choosing to eat when the alternative is starving, even if it is annoying that I missed my lunch that day.

  • xmunk
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    7 hours ago

    Stealing food is theft - it may be petty theft but it’s still theft. If you report it to HR and nothing is done then you can sue the company for a hostile work environment.

    If you use laxatives, excessive spice, whatever and injure a coworker then you can be fired with cause and possibly be civilly or criminally liable if the damages are significant enough.

  • RoquetteQueen
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    6 hours ago

    My cop relative said everyone working in police stations keeps their stuff in lockers because cops constantly steal from each other. Not just food.

    • xmunk
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      7 hours ago

      That’s poisoning and you absolutely can be held liable for any injury you cause.

      Also, it’s a completely reasonable reason to fire you.

      • hddsx@lemmy.ca
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        6 hours ago

        What do you mean? It as a laxative to help me poop. Why are you eating my medicated sandwich?

      • TurtlePower@lemm.ee
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        7 hours ago

        But causing someone to go hungry because their property was stolen, is A-OK.

        Fuck that. Poison them all.

        • xmunk
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          7 hours ago

          You know that saying “two wrongs don’t make a right?” if you retaliate you’re exposing yourself to liability. And if you legitimately have no options to eat then go home and if your boss fires you lawyer up because your employer didn’t take reasonable steps to make sure you were able to bring lunch to work and failed to provide an alternative.

    • TheAlbatross@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      7 hours ago

      Careful, people have been terminated and been sued for this kind of behavior.

      You can make it very very spicy, however, as long as you’re willing to eat it too

  • Anissem@lemmy.ml
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    7 hours ago

    Y’all need to start rubbing your ass on decoy food. Go ahead, eat my butt croissant.