To think don't keep taking my drink at work?

[openitsoicanseeyousmile]

I'm known to bring a can of drink in everyday for lunch. It's kept in the shared fridge at work - Everyone knowns it's mine as there's a little section box for each person with their name on.

A colleague of mine is pregnant and for the third time has taken my drink and not bothered replacing it. When questioned, she says something along the lines of "Sorry! Bad sickness. This helps. I'll get a new one for you tomorrow".

She always does, it's there the following day. But it means having to go out at lunchtime to get another one. The local shop is only 2 minutes away but it means eating up time I don't have since I have 30 minutes lunch.

I'm really not sure how to go about it. If it was the usual person, I'd tell them to stop the cheek and buy their own to bring in! But she's pregnant and suffering from sickness. I had HG with my son so I feel awful at the thought of telling her she can most certainly never take from me again without asking

I remember the horrendous feeling of needing something sweet and fizzy to curve the sickness and it did often help, so I imagine it's very helpful to her.

Perhaps I should buy a multipack and suggest she goes half's so we can both enjoy them during the week? Or is this too doormat like?

I'm really not sure how to go about it. I don't think she thinks she's being cheeky in the slightest, and is an otherwise lovely colleague.

What would you do? I usually have no issues being assertive but I feel as if the lines have been blurred.

This person isn't a thief because she always replaces the drink the next day

Of course she's a thief. Replacing a stolen item doesn't negate the initial action. This woman is not only taking drinks that don't belong to her she's also stealing the OP's limited free time when OP has to spend it replacing what she has every right to expect to be there.

Hormones rule our behaviour because that is the way that our body and brain work

And of course we're entirely unable to overrule them with rational thought and conscience

Yep I’m still pushing it, just read all the responses over a drink and you think I’m the nut job.....🙄 I guess if that’s the biggest problem you have in your life then fantastic but some people aren’t as petty 😂

Typical CF response

Clearly this is the kind of behaviour you find acceptable, because you probably do it yourself.

She's replacing it the next day, but isn't she then just going and getting it out to drink again?! She's just buying herself a drink

Hormones rule our behaviour because that is the way that our body and brain work.

I can't believe that women on here don't understand simple biological principles.

Nurse gill

Are you really a HCP, gill? A current practising one?

Of course hormones don’t “rule” our behaviour! I’m not even going to explain further because I think you need to go and update your education yourself.

I genuinely cannot understand all the posters who think the pregnant woman’s sickness or cravings are the OP’s problem. She’s sick, she needs a drink, she should get a drink. It’s not the OP’s responsibility in any way shape or form!

OMG I am so glad I am not alone in this CF nonsense.

How do these people actually justify it to themselves that it's acceptable behaviour?

I am appalled at the posters suggesting that the OP just buy a multipack. What is this ridiculous logic that colleagues should be out of pocket just to appease their CF colleagues?

OP I feel for you I really do and I completely understand how difficult it is to be assertive in these situations as you are relying on them to realise that it's just ridiculously cheeky behaviour but they just DON'T for some reason.

@openitsoicanseeyousmile I would buy a multi-pack for yourself and keep in your desk. Then each day pop one in the fridge an hour before lunch time. Then you know you'll always have one available if she us cheeky enough to steal one during that hour before lunch! (hopefully the short time frame of drink in fridge will reduce the opportunity!)

This person isn't a thief because she always replaces the drink the next day

Or, instead of replacing the OP’s drink and then stealing it again the next day. She could just buy her own. Seeing as she is at the shop anyway.

Or do hormones equate to lack of common sense too...?

I'd be keeping the cans in my bag/drawer from now, and putting some ice in the company fridge/freezer to add to my drink before I want it. As a one-off I'd let this kind of thing go, but repeatedly? No way.

I once put over 10 laxative pills in a drink to teach someone a lesson and funnily they shared the one-litre bottle with their friends. Unfortunately, there were not enough cubicles available and the thief and 2 friends ended up with a violent explosive episode of the 'Shxts' much to everyone's horror in the office. I was everywhere, their legs, work area, floor, and the smell was unbelievable. They had to make arrangements for friends and family to pick them up but the walk of shame to the kerb and the embarrassment and smell ensured that nothing went missing again. Little cryptic notes appeared suggesting the possible eating of contaminated food and eventually one of ' your friend just loves laxatives in their drink' appeared along with 'some drinks just go right through you'. A 1-litre bottle with about 6 doses of laxative in it solves all problems.

Beyond genius

I really don't understand the thinking f those that are saying 'just buy her a multipack, it;s only £1.50'!

So someone steals from you, and you go and buy them a present? Cos it's 'being nice'? To someone who is being NOT NICE to you?

Where does that stop? A multipack a week? Cos she's pregnant and will presumably go away at some point on Maternity?

As a PP said - if it was Nigel from accounts who was stealing your drink, the responses would be different. But it's a female, and a pregnant one at that, who should be treated differently, in fact treated to a free can of drink per day, and everyone should be 'kind' to her.
(who said Kindness costs nothing? To Sharron, yes. To OP - £1.50 a time!)

OP is already being kind, bringing in treats for everyone. But drink-stealing cow thinks this means she can help herself to whatever else she likes? What else does she fancy? Gordon's sandwich? Claire's cake? A fiver left in Arnold's drawer?

Be kind and let her????????????????????

Fuck that shit.

CF not in yet, starts at 10.30. I'll let you know how it goes today. I've told my boss (making it clear I didn't want any input, just wanted his opinion), and he's suggested I just add on a big box of drinks to the tea and coffee supply orders, saying it's beyond rude and must be replaced immediately, same day, if she does it again as he sees it as dishonest.

Husband thinks it's funny - But the CF himself has unlimited supplies of whatever soft drinks they like as his workplace have them available in the fridge 24/7 for free!

Hormones rule our behaviour because that is the way that our body and brain work.

Hormones may make her queasy and forgetful once.

That having happened ONCE, most of us would think - "Blimey! Must add a multipack of Fizzy Pop to my shopping and keep it at work for emergency feeling-shitness. I'll MAKE ANOTE IN MY DIARY THIS VERY MOMENT!"

Funny how she doesn't forget where OP keeps her drink, isn't it?

But the CF himself has unlimited supplies of whatever soft drinks they like as his workplace have them available in the fridge 24/7 for free!

Tell her to apply for a job there?

Hormones rule our behaviour because that is the way that our body and brain work.

Can I also point out that women have fought for centuries for equality, and had a hell of a job on their hands because men bought into the above and regarded women'd hormones as unpredictable and unreasonable.

Do we really want to go back to that sort of medieval thinking?

Yes - hormones can affect our emotions etc - but we are intelligent enough to develop strategies to cope with forgetfulness etc.

Because we aren't idiots.

Grief, she’s a CF! It drives me mad when women use pregnancy as an excuse for bad behaviour. I had horrible nausea at the start of my pregnancy that often hit at work. My colleague almost always has a can of Pepsi with his lunch. So you know what I did? I walked to the shop and bought my own because I’m not a thieving twat

Cheeky fuckery. Pregnant or not, she can't go around stealing your drinks. Besides, if she always replaces it, why can't she just buy an extra can for herself?

Hormones rule our behaviour because that is the way that our body and brain work.

Is that what they say in the court of law when a woman shoplifts due to hormones?

Oh wait, that doesn't happen because women actually have brains.

😂 reported you

Imagine if Gill was actually a nurse patients stealing and being let off based on their sex. People being called silly bitches left right and centre.

This kept happening with me, and food I'd brought for my lunch too. I bought one of those small Coke fridges and it's under my desk

I feel really sorry that you can't understand hormonal normal behaviour based on the pituitary gland in men and women

I'm really sorry that you can't understand that most people, being aware of what dipsticks they can become when their hormones are out of balance, make provision for that by:

1. making lists of things to do/things to buy

2. asking their friends/partners to remind them if they forget something eg a multi-pack of fizzy pop - or even just one can

3. are aware that they may be excessively tearful/ irritable and take a deep breath rather than respond to things with a knee-jerk reaction

4. still manage to understand that if they need a drink, they can go to the shop any buy one all by themselves - and if it's truly an emergency "gonna boak if'n I don't drink OP's pop NOW!" - then drink it, and then ^replace it immediately before OP starts her lunch

OP - it seems that your colleague has more hormones than most other pregnant women. Please watch out for other pregnancy-related behaviours eg going into your bag for your discount and credit cards to order a baguette , or building a cosy nest out of discarded newspapers underneath her desk, and snarling and biting if anyone attempts to "shoo" her out.

She replaces it the next day? Wtf? Eat her sandwich and tell her you'll replace it "tomorrow", see how that goes down.