To have asked colleague to pay for my coat?

[GreenSnot]

Office based job. Colleague was flying around the office on a wheeled chair on Monday, I’d asked her to stop twice but she carried on. Then she ended up wheeling over my coat which was on the back of my chair (but partly on the floor). The coat got tangled in the wheels and ripped. It was a Barbour coat so not cheap but not massively expensive either. I said “you should pay something towards me getting a new one” and she said “oh chill out, it shouldn’t have been on the floor”. I said “you shouldn’t be flying around on the office on the chair!” Anyway another colleague charmed in and said she’d knocked a dent into the filing cabinet last week after crashing into it and she should offer to pay for that too.

Now a number of colleagues have taken her side and have started taking the piss like dropping a tea bag and shouting “someone needs to pay for that” etc etc

Was I unreasonable to ask her to pay towards my coat?

Just want to make it clear it was not a wheelchair. It’s an office chair on wheels.

I wouldn’t have asked her to pay, but I’d have been very sharp with her. She sounds like an idiot. Did she apologise for ripping your coat?

Of course you’re not being unreasonable and I’d be expecting her to pay half! I’d speak to my/her line manager too if she & others continued being idiots about it, as well.

You're both in the wrong, so I wouldn't expect her to pay. Coats half on the floor are a trip hazard.

You should really put in a grievance and make a claim against the company. She sounds like a bully who will only take the piss out of you no matter how right or reasonable you are.

Honestly can’t stand characters like this at work - it’s irritating being surrounded by numpties and idiots who spend their days doing stupid things instead of actually working.

Are you working in a nursery?
Are your colleagues 3 year old kids?

Christ is she 12? Another reason i love working from home. I don't miss all this shit.

Yes she should pay for a new coat, she ripped it.

I don't get it, why was she flying around the office on a chair? Does she not have a desk to sit and work at? Aren't there any managers to stop her?

She was an idiot, you should have tidied your coat away. It would be good of her to offer to pay towards it but I doubt you'd be able to force her to.

Barbour do have a mending service which will be cheaper than replacing it, but yes she should pay for it.

She sounds a real idiot, flying around on a chair, you know your coat should have been hung up if you have a staff room or lockers but she is very childish. Does the manager know how silly she is.,

She sounds like an idiot scooting around in her chair. I would be pissed off with her.

But, your coat should not have been on the floor, or on the back of your chair. This is a health and safety hazard. It should have been hung up safely out of the way. Our workplace guidelines specifically say that, and I think its quite common. Most workplaces supply cloakrooms/lockers or hooks/coat stand, which is where your coat should have been.

I wouldn't have asked a colleague to pay tbh.

I'd have been so apologetic if I were her and offered to pay immediately

We have to put ours on the back of our chairs at the moment, part of the covid guidelines so we use shared spaces/coat stands as little as possible. I don't think it's a terribly good idea though.

I'd be really annoyed with your colleague.

When you say flying around on a chair, do you mean scooting over to other colleagues desks to go through work together or zipping around purely for fun?

If she was just moving around to work then the fact you left your coat partly on the fault suggests accident to me. If she was messing around then I think she should pay.

I think if I damaged your coat I would still offer to pay either way though .

I'd be annoyed if if I had been her (which I wouldn't as I'm not 10), I would have been mortified and offered to pay something.

I now mostly wfh but in my office there was nowhere except the back of your chair to put your coat so not always a s simple as "hang your coat up".

It sounds like an episode of The Office! How on earth are people messing about on the chairs? Is it an office full of teenagers?! She sounds like an immature idiot.

Not sure about replacing the whole coat but if the rip is mendable she should pay for that.

Do you work with 8 year olds? It all sounds so juvenile with the office chair wheeling, tea bag dropping etc.

Yes she should pay towards the coat being mended or replaced, she should also stop flying about the office on a chair - just get up and walk ffs.

she was wrong for messing around on the chair, you were wrong for having a tripping hazard on the back of your chair
write it off to experience

Good luck getting any money out of her.

Has no one in a more senior position said anything?! I’d definitely escalate it of she’s acting like a child.

I would suggest a quiet word with HR. What she was doing could be seen as a safety risk.

I would be hauled over the coals for that behaviour in my office.

I have to put my coat on a stand, rather than back of a chair, but that is a different topic.

I don’t think you’ll get any money out of her sadly - but I’d definitely be raising her behaviour and the subsequent behaviour of your colleagues with your manager. They sound hideous and very unprofessional.
Why was she pushing herself around on the chair anyway?

Where are you told to put your coats? If you're told to put them on the back of your chair then I would definitely take this further.