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.

Seriously though - I'm with Batshit.

ou shouldn't have to buy a toolbox, you shouldn't;t have to keep your drink in your desk - but is it worth the drama of insisting on your rights? Especially against an opponent with this level of manipulative determination.

I would not bring a fizzy drink with me at all, because I think if you take your stuff out of the fridge and put it in your desk, her next move will be to ask you directly (or get someone else to ask you directly) for your drink, and then you are in the same position as you were when she colluded with a colleague (and I think it was collusion - I don't believe your drink was the only thing in that fridge she could have taken).

She's sly, she's manipulative, she's a bully and she's a thief. But she's not worth your energy or time. Have you asked her why she doesn't just bring a can in? Or handed her a can and said - "That'll be 50p" or whatever?

This is a game to her.

She's enjoying it.

She won't stop.

*coolbox, not tolbox

Also apologies for all the other typos

I agree with Batshitbertha you need to step away from this madness now.

I'll give it to colleague- she's very good - because now even if you plaster your name on your can, or hide it in a cool bag - she knows she can use her winged monkeys and poor me strategy to extract it from you.

If you try to explain to colleague who helped her yesterday to your drink, you're the one who will come across as slightly unhinged.

I think back near the beginning of the thread your boss said that these drinks ( am I the only one who still doesn't know what they are ?) could be added to the tea and coffee order. I would just do that - if it's an option - and stay away from mad colleague.

I hope you get some sort of resolve on this, she is clearly targeting you and it's not on.

I had this when I was pregnant, i had some squash out of a colleague's drawer because I needed something sweet but was trying to avoid fizzy drinks (otherwise I would have just used the vending machine in the canteen!)

The following day when she returned to work, I told her what I had done, apologised profusely and assured her it wouldn't happen again because I had been out and bought the exact same flavour squash seeing as it did the trick so well the previous day.

Wasn't an issue because I'm not a CF. Your colleague is. Speak to your manager and get it noted before her targeted behaviour causes her to raise a grievance against you. I agree with pp, this sounds like she's trying to get 'extra' leave and it will be at your expense if you don't put a stop to her crazy behaviour xx

Cheeky cow! She's using pregnancy, the NHS bloody EPU and tears snot and drama tonget her own way - unacceptable!
She's created this, not you! She doesn't get get the choice of food from the shared fridge because she's pregnant - she's a CF

I cannot believe this woman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've only just noticed that OP's username is strangely appropriate under the circumstances! Or perhaps the exact opposite, since she doesn't want the CF to open it at all but instead leave it the fuck on the shelf and not steal.

Hope today is a bit less batshit crazy, OP. I wonder if her next line of attack will be to ask you to go to the shop for her to get the drink as she couldn't possibly have yours but she's SO POORLY.

She's the school bully stealing your lunch money. And making you out to be the villain.

It's a pity you didn't say "Why not, you've been helping yourself 3very other day. It's costing me a fortune to be thirsty" but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

How about saying, "If you're struggling to shop, being pregnant and all, give me and I'll pick you some up when I next go shopping so you can keep a supply under your desk."

I'm getting overly invested here, found myself wondering how you could rig up an alarm so that when she picks it up a siren sounds. 🤣

Does the fridge have a freezer compartment? If so, have you got one of those wine cooling jackets? That way, you could keep your drinks under the desk and still have it cold.

If she's like this whilst being pregnant, I dress to think what her parenting skills will be like. Entitled and complainy I reckon.

I’d be having a bit of a chat with my manager because she will say you’ve been bullying her. Definitely.
Stop having the drinks because this weird fuckery is a game to her now.
In honesty though most employers aren’t going to say much to her, they won’t want to look like they are also bullying this poor pregnant woman,
It’s probably the first time someone has called her out on being an irritating cowbag.

Don't buy a cooler or cage or any of that.

Honestly, if you want to avoid awkwardness, I'd bring her her own drink tomorrow and say to her there's on in there in case she needs it but from now on she needs to bring her own in with her as it's getting ridiculous.

The woman needs to buy herself a bloody multipack!

Actually I think the cool-bag-under-your-desk idea would just add another dimension of fun to this for her. I would switch to tap water for the next few weeks and take the wind out of her sails that way. She is bullying and manipulative in the extreme and has realised that being pregnant makes her virtually bullet proof against any complaints. However, I would tell your manager that is what you are doing and why.

Fuck using your hard earned cash buying coolbags, lock boxes, ice packs, bottles and all that other nonsense. Also fuck changing what YOU drink. Also, you purposely going out and buying your drink again each day simply because you usually need to anyway still eats into your lunch time and is no solution.

Go and let your manager know what's going on. Get ahead of this manipulative cow. Don't go in to specifically make a complaint against her, just make it clear that this is going on, she's escalating it and they may need to be prepared to deal with a bigger issue of her creating an atmosphere in the office or coercing others to turn against you. Make it clear that you are sick of this childish nonsense and don't want to be a part of it so you are forewarning management of HER behaviour.

Op. Please do not get into "moving goal posts/stunt canning/feigning low sugar wooziness/tit-for-tat" malarky.
1 - why should you waste your time and mental energy hatching new and scheming ways to 'teach her a lesson'?
2 - you lose the high ground.
3 - explain everything to HR after it happens and leave it in their hands: at the very least getting it off your chest is cathartic in its own way.
4 - store drink separately in the interim. Under lock and key. (If she tries the same shenanigans again, you could possibly fall back on "erm..sorry, can't seem to find the key to my locked cool box..")

Agree with previous posters- bring in cool bag and store under your desk! With a lock on. Her behaviour is unacceptable

Could you put one on her desk every morning for a few days with loud expressions on how she craves this drink every day. Let your colleagues hear it, be loud and generous till it gets embarrassing for her or she gets bored of the game.

Seriously, just say to her that she needs to get herself some drinks! There is nothing wrong with that. You can make a joke about her keep taking yours.

Anywhere else you turn people won't realise what she's been up to - you cannot go to your manager and say that this pregnant woman keeps taking your can of drink because she feels like she's going to faint (or whatever BS she's saying) - your boss won't understand and will think you're being petty.

Tell this woman she needs to bring her own drinks in! You don't need to be rude about, just suggest that she brings a multipack in for herself as she needs it and she's causing you difficult by always taking yours.

That said, I'd be tempted to just drink it mid-morning for a week or so before she's had to the chance to get it.

How about you annoy her utterly by switching to Red Bull or Monster for a few weeks. If she tries to nick them, you can say, Oh okay but you know they're not great for your baby, right? And then guzzle them happily in front of her.

OP she's playing the whole office like a fiddle, but especially you. I think there has to be history, maybe she didn't believe your HG, maybe she's one of these people that doesn't think it can possibly be as bad as it is and wanted a diagnosis as a chance to swing the lead and sit at home with her feet up. She clearly resents you over something. Who on earth wants fizzy juice if they have cramps - I'd disappear in a cloud of my own farts. I'd have said " no don't have anything, go nil by mouth until you've been checked out medically, what if you need a procedure".
I'd take her in a multipack today & hand it over ceremonially , I'd probably say something really sarky like I hope you're naming the baby after me or calling it Ka since we're providing you with the most support. However DO make the point that YOUR drink in the fridge is to remain untouched now that she and bubba have a supply.

She's cheeky mare, wouldn't surprise me if she scouted out he fridge to make sure your stuff was there before crying for something sweet and cold, knowing someone would bring it to her.

Now she will say "well that wasnt me, someone else brought it to me"

I'd take her in a multipack today & hand it over ceremonially , I'd probably say something really sarky like I hope you're naming the baby after me or calling it Ka since we're providing you with the most support. However DO make the point that YOUR drink in the fridge is to remain untouched now that she and bubba have a supply.

Her and 'bubba' can bloody well go and get their own So cross with her.