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agonyaunt2019-10-03 11:17 am
movingfinger) wrote in agonyaunt2019-10-03 11:17 am
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Dear Prudence: Coworkers are stealing candy from my desk
Dear Prudence,
I have a medical condition where I have major symptoms if I have low blood sugar. I can’t leave my desk every time this happens, so I keep a small bag of candy in my drawer so I can eat between calls (I have permission from HR to do this). My co-workers are lazy thieves. They don’t want to go downstairs to the vending machine—they just rip through my desk when my back is turned. A bag used to last me two weeks, but now I am lucky if it lasts two days. No matter if I get up for 30 seconds, someone will be trying to get candy. I told all of my co-workers to stay out of my desk, but we are not allowed to lock them. In fact, I think they see it as a fun game.
I caught two and made enough of a stink to bring our supervisor to the floor. All he said was for us to stop wasting time and told me if I was bringing candy to work, I should bring enough for everyone. This isn’t kindergarten! I don’t know what to do. I do not want to escalate to HR because even if I win (and I will), my supervisor carries grudges and will make my life miserable. I need this job. I need the health insurance, and it took me 13 months to find this one. I can’t lose it.
—Candy Thieves
It’s ridiculous and awful that things have come to this point, especially since you need this job for health insurance and your co-workers are going out of their way to make it harder for you to keep your blood sugar levels stable. Since your co-workers are all in on this, your supervisor is potentially out to get you, and HR sounds hands-off, I think you should just start keeping the candy on your person, rather than in a drawer where others can get to it. Keep a few pieces in each pocket, and then keep the bulk of your stash outside in your car if you drive to work. I’d go a step further and unwrap the candy in the bathroom or when no one is nearby so none of your co-workers have any idea where you’re keeping your stash now or if you’re even eating any throughout the day. If worse comes to worse, start wearing a candy necklace under your collar and biting off a few beads every couple of hours. If your co-workers ask where the candy drawer went, tell them airily, “Oh, I stopped doing that,” and make another phone call.
I have a medical condition where I have major symptoms if I have low blood sugar. I can’t leave my desk every time this happens, so I keep a small bag of candy in my drawer so I can eat between calls (I have permission from HR to do this). My co-workers are lazy thieves. They don’t want to go downstairs to the vending machine—they just rip through my desk when my back is turned. A bag used to last me two weeks, but now I am lucky if it lasts two days. No matter if I get up for 30 seconds, someone will be trying to get candy. I told all of my co-workers to stay out of my desk, but we are not allowed to lock them. In fact, I think they see it as a fun game.
I caught two and made enough of a stink to bring our supervisor to the floor. All he said was for us to stop wasting time and told me if I was bringing candy to work, I should bring enough for everyone. This isn’t kindergarten! I don’t know what to do. I do not want to escalate to HR because even if I win (and I will), my supervisor carries grudges and will make my life miserable. I need this job. I need the health insurance, and it took me 13 months to find this one. I can’t lose it.
—Candy Thieves
It’s ridiculous and awful that things have come to this point, especially since you need this job for health insurance and your co-workers are going out of their way to make it harder for you to keep your blood sugar levels stable. Since your co-workers are all in on this, your supervisor is potentially out to get you, and HR sounds hands-off, I think you should just start keeping the candy on your person, rather than in a drawer where others can get to it. Keep a few pieces in each pocket, and then keep the bulk of your stash outside in your car if you drive to work. I’d go a step further and unwrap the candy in the bathroom or when no one is nearby so none of your co-workers have any idea where you’re keeping your stash now or if you’re even eating any throughout the day. If worse comes to worse, start wearing a candy necklace under your collar and biting off a few beads every couple of hours. If your co-workers ask where the candy drawer went, tell them airily, “Oh, I stopped doing that,” and make another phone call.