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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Colleague charging electric scooter at work

276 replies

Whatt · 14/04/2023 00:12

One of my colleagues has recently started commuting to work on an electric scooter, which is great for the environment and saves them money on travel expenses. However, the issue is that they've been using the work place plugs to charge their scooter during the day.

Now, I'm all for being environmentally friendly and reducing waste, which is something that our management team has been pushing for lately. They've switched to cheaper hand wash and toilet roll, and they no longer provide bottled water or tea, coffee, and biscuits in the staff room. I understand that these changes are necessary due to the high cost of living and the need to reduce expenses.

However, I can't help but feel like it's a bit unfair that my colleague is essentially getting free electricity to charge their personal vehicle while the rest of us are being asked to make these small sacrifices.

I'm also worried that if our electricity bill goes up, management may take away other benefits and incentives that we currently enjoy, without realizing that the charging of the electric scooter is the cause.

I'm not sure if my colleague is aware of the impact this is having on our electricity bill, but I feel like it's something that management should know about. I don't want to be seen as a snitch or cause any unnecessary conflict in the workplace, but I do think it's important to be transparent and fair.

Yabu = mind your own
Yanbu = they're taking the piss

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Domino20 · 14/04/2023 00:13

You clearly do want to be a snitch.

mushroommummy · 14/04/2023 00:14

Really? Come on your one of those people who blabber to the boss about the other staff, aren’t you?

maddy68 · 14/04/2023 00:15

So tell me you never cabrea your phone at work

You are being ridiculous. They use barely anything

MaizeBlouse · 14/04/2023 00:15

It's petty, but it would annoy me too!

pinkpotatoez · 14/04/2023 00:16

Why do you care, it's not your electricity bill. If you keep having to make sacrifices at work because someone at work is charging their electric scooter then the company is shit and you should move jobs.

DojaPhat · 14/04/2023 00:16

Working life is made hard not by the work itself but by colleagues such as yourself.

Ktime · 14/04/2023 00:17

Our office car park has free electric car charging bays. That must really blow your mind!

SmartHome · 14/04/2023 00:17

So younever charge your mobile phone at work?

petty and pathetic.

gkd1234 · 14/04/2023 00:17

I charge my phone at work when it's running low. Is that just as bad?

Lizzt2007 · 14/04/2023 00:17

If you e seen it op why would you think management havent ? Presumably your all in the same office.

Badbudgeter · 14/04/2023 00:17

Charging an escooter battery takes ages but doesn’t cost all that much between 15-30p per charge. I think I’d probably let it slide tbh

BurscoughBooths · 14/04/2023 00:18

You could report him to the police. He won’t have insurance to ride an electric scooter to work if you are in the UK

CC4712 · 14/04/2023 00:19

Buy an electric car and ask to charge that at work. If you can't beat them- join them 😉

poetryandwine · 14/04/2023 00:19

I’ve just googled the cost of fully recharging an electric scooter. It is between 15 and 30p. And we don’t know that this scooter requires a full charge.

The cost is coming in at under £2.50/month. Just how badly off is your company?

SmartHome · 14/04/2023 00:20

He might be using one of the approved schemes in London or Manchester or one of the 30 other places where it is perfectly legal to ridethem on the roads, so long as you have a driving licence.

Badbudgeter · 14/04/2023 00:21

gkd1234 · 14/04/2023 00:17

I charge my phone at work when it's running low. Is that just as bad?

I’m sure I remember reading about a bloke in Germany who was fired for theft for charging a mobile phone at work. Cost was less than a cent . He reckoned they were trying to replace him with cheaper labour and was taking it to a tribunal ( or the German equivalent)

BreviloquentBastard · 14/04/2023 00:23

I charge my phone at work, and my personal laptop if I feel like it. I've seen colleagues charging headphones, e-cigs, tablets, watches, a Switch.. Hell one of my colleagues brought in a slow cooker and made ribs for lunch.

You may need to lighten up a bit.

BurscoughBooths · 14/04/2023 00:23

SmartHome · 14/04/2023 00:20

He might be using one of the approved schemes in London or Manchester or one of the 30 other places where it is perfectly legal to ridethem on the roads, so long as you have a driving licence.

Those are hire scooters and he wouldn’t be charging one at work as you pay per minute of usage

Totallyaddictedtoshoes · 14/04/2023 00:25

Bottled water and biscuits???!you do realise most of us don't even get the tea, coffee and milk you used to get, we just bring our own. Yabvu, the cost of charging these things is minimal and as you say, it is far better for the environment. What other benefits would they strip away? If you are that concerned, get one yourself!

Manchestermummax3 · 14/04/2023 00:25

I have ibs..... I should probably have my wages deducted for the extra water charges for using the loo/hand washing facilities during a flare up???
Oops... forgot the toilet roll.... how much should I be docked?

unvillage · 14/04/2023 00:26

Stealing electricity?! Report it immediately!! Also report everyone charging their phones, laptops, headphones, vapes! How dare they??

SmartHome · 14/04/2023 00:27

BurscoughBooths · 14/04/2023 00:23

Those are hire scooters and he wouldn’t be charging one at work as you pay per minute of usage

Some are long term rentals supplied with a charger for you to charge it eg this one in Bristol https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/e-scooter-hire-scheme-to-offer-long-term-rentals/

E-scooter hire scheme to offer long-term rentals

Users can now rent a scooter and take it home

https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/e-scooter-hire-scheme-to-offer-long-term-rentals

Nightlystroll · 14/04/2023 00:29

I don't see it any different from theft. If the mgt are happy about it, then it's no problem. But I don't think it's OK. I don't know if I'd report it or not, though. I know I should but it would depend on different things.

StepAwayFromTheBiscuitJar · 14/04/2023 00:30

I'd be pretty pissed off if my workplace stopped providing tea and coffee tbh. Last two jobs had fancy free vending machines and current one have a proper professional one like you see in Costa etc.

I've been feeling pretty hard done by having to drink instant at the site office. 😂

Nightlystroll · 14/04/2023 00:32

Oh wait. That'll teach me for reading at gone midnight. It's a scooter not a car. Its cost is so minimal that it's probably not much more than boiling the kettle. Would anyone be interested when talking that little money?

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