Colleague charging electric scooter at work

[Whatt]

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

I think you have other worries, if your company has to take away tea and coffee which is pretty basic, and tight. I would think they are in dire financial straits and about to go under. Are you all so petty there?

Hahahahahaha!! This has to be a joke.

Indeed, you have clearly never worked in the public sector. You will be pleased to know your taxes do not fund anything as basic as a teabag or some milk for any employee

I thought scooters were illegal unless they were part of the government hire scheme so having it plugged in to the office electrics on their premises could have other repercussions for them if for some reason it becomes known more widely.

Unless the scooter cannot last the return journey without being recharged at work then he is being cheeky plugging it in at work. Given the office has switched to cheaper loo paper and tea etc they are clearly feeling the pinch so the accumulated cost of the electricity ciuld be a problem. I have no idea how much electricity scooters need to charge a battery though.

Like you I would be uncomfortable snitching too though. I would hope someone senior would see it or find a way to drop it into a conversation with the boss in a way that doesnt look like you are complaining about it. Eg “its great that the office is so supportive of low cost methods of transport such as scooters to help employees reduce their travel costs. Have you thought about putting in some dedicated charging points for this?”. Then see what reaction that gets!

Ah. You’ve never worked in the public sector then.

I couldn’t care less about this, I don’t think I’ve ever thought about my employers electricity bill!!

Goodness only on MN will you get so many rude comments. Electric scooters are illegal firstly and secondly yes it’s a cheek as surely after one journey to work it doesn’t need a charge so they’re avoiding charging at home to use free company electricity. I’d report.

I always find it tragic how the minions go on about the most minor cost to a company like charging a phone, or taking the train with 4 changes and 5 hours too long rather than a direct one in half the time to save a tenner. Reckon the bosses are doing that? They'll be rinsing the expenses while the jobsworth rank and file bicker about the 3p to charge a phone, or whether they can have a biro from the stationary cupboard.

I assumed a charge would cost £2-3 a go and even then thought you were unreasonable given it’s probably less than £50 a year I think you need to not be that person.

Get a life.

I’ve never had tea or coffee or washing up liquid provided at work.

worked for a water company (private), nhs and now a university

You could have saved a lot of words and just wrote ‘I’m jealous as my colleague gets free travel and I don’t’.

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.
Your colleague is also part of the team that is making small sacrifices.
About bloody biscuits & handwash FFS. You are unbelievably petty to be mithered about such tiny perks.

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.
Call a meeting for the entire management team, & let them know that your astonishing business acumen has detected a wrinkle they have missed.
It will go swimmingly, you will get a round of applause & a promotion.

I'm not sure if my colleague is aware of the impact this is having on our electricity bill,
Are you sure YOU are?

but I feel like it's something that management should know about.
why do you imagine that they don't?

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.
See above & don't let this worry you. You will be lauded with accolades, & probably made Finance Director.

What outcome do you actually want here OP - that your colleague is told to stop using his scooter? Because this is a giant lie of the same ilk as "I'm not racist, BUT ...."
Now, I'm all for being environmentally friendly and reducing waste, 😂"but not at the expense of cheaper handwash! This is a step too far!"

Management have already decided that electric scooters are part of their environmental push
which is something that our management team has been pushing for lately.
So if you want to make a twat of yourself & advertise that you are being small-minded, unsupportive, & are actually having a sulk about biscuits - go right ahead.

It’s becoming a bit of a thing in the UK now to be jealous someone has something you don’t so you scheme and campaign to have it taken away from them. Sad state of affairs.

You say you don't know if your colleague knows the impact this is having on the company electrical bill but you don't either!

Er - no they're not

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-61354078

If you worked for me & 'reported' this, I'd welcome your input.
It would let me know that you are more focused on being petty & crying "s'not fair" that cracking on with your job while paying proper attention to the company's stated enviro policy.

Christ, get a life. It’ll be peanuts to charge the scooter. It’s like charging someone extra if they use the company loo roll to blow their nose and not wipe their arse. Don’t you ever charge your phone at work? Or an iPad or anything?

Don’t bring this up.

I'd report him. Bet he has other luxuries like a chair and a desk to work at. People now days don't know they're born. He should count himself lucky he's not working by candlelight sitting in an unheated outhouse with the poultry.

People like you make work the unpleasant place so many of us hate.

I had a colleague whose manager sent her a list of (utterly petty) complaints the manager had about her (not complaints other people made, just stuff the manager herself thought) and the email said, ' the most serious of these is that you charge your phone at work.' Which shows you just how petty the other stuff was! (And actually the only reason she was charging her phone at work was because her work phone was out of order and she was using her personal phone for work business!)

I lost all respect for that manager at that moment. The Union said that email amounted to bullying.

We don't let our staff charge things at work unless their chargers have been PAC tested. Our insurance requires this.

Maybe worth pointing out, because they could be risking all of your safety?

No, it's between 15 and 30 p to charge fully, depending on the model. Given that workers in the UK put in billions of pounds worth of unpaid overtime last year, I think the average employer can suck that one up. https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/uk-workers-put-ps26-billion-worth-unpaid-overtime-during-last-year-tuc-analysis#:~:text=3.5%20million%20people%20did%20unpaid,term%20trends%20in%20unpaid%20overtime.

They are illegal though aren't they? You can only ride them on private land. So that's your biggest worry.

I've worked in some very poor countries but have never known an office without tea&coffee and a water-cooler provided for staff.

Try working at a university.
We don't get anything!!

You can only ride them on private land not the road or pavement