I Refused to Let My Things Get Stolen at Work—Maybe I Went Too Far

In today’s highly competitive world, our workplaces are like our second homes, given we spend a lot of time there. It’s natural to want some creature comforts at work, so many of us tend to bring over whatever gives us some peace of mind, be it your favorite brew, snack, cushion, cup, or more. One of our Bright Side readers, Jessica M, was no different and brought a special, rather expensive tea to the office, only to have it stolen. Read on to know how she caught the “thief,” and how it almost backfired on her.

Here’s what happened to Jessica’s favorite brew:

Hi Bright Side,

I have a somewhat funny story to share and also need a bit of advice on how to handle my current office situation. I am a tea drinker in an office full of coffee lovers. Sick of the coffee machine, I started bringing my own tea to the office, because not having a relaxing cup was bringing my productivity down. I offered tea to my co-workers, but they all preferred their coffee, so that was that.

Recently, my parents went on a trip and, knowing my penchant for tea, brought me boxes of really expensive, fancy tea leaves. As usual, I took a box to the office, marking it as mine. It vanished in three days. It would have lasted me a month. I asked around, but no one seemed to know what happened to it. So, I brought another box, and this time I marked it boldly, “Jessica’s Tea: Please do not touch.” I went down the same way, vanishing again. I was really irritated, and to prank the person taking my tea, I made something unforgettable with salt and soy sauce.

Two days later, I heard someone gagging and retching in the kitchen and discovered who the thief was. To my shock, it turned out to be my boss, who came out red-faced, demanding to know who had spiked the “office tea.” I kept mum, pretending I knew nothing about what was happening, but since the box was labelled as mine, my boss later told me, in private, that office pranks were absolutely not allowed, and if it happened again, she’d report me to HR.

I wanted to point out that it was my tea, and she wasn’t supposed to take it, but somehow I was tongue-tied. What do you think I should do next to smooth things out, still be able to have my tea, and make it clear that I don’t want to share it?

Jessica M

Dear Jessica, thank you for sharing your funny, but painful story with us. We feel you. At the risk of making a pun, this story is a complete blend of drama and office politics, and frankly, we applaud you staying calm and not blowing up. Here are a few simple tricks that might help you put all this behind.

How to calm the storm in the teacup...

• Keep your more expensive stuff locked in your cabinet: Bring your tea, or anything else you want to keep just for your use, in a container and keep it in a locked drawer at your desk. Else, carry your daily quota of tea leaves in a personal thermos-mug. Either of these steps simply removes access to your tea.
• Make your label do the talking: Some office rules state that any and all food items can only be stored in the kitchen. Since you can’t store the tea in a locked container, redesign your label to show professionalism: “Personal property of Jessica. Not for communal use.” Sometimes co-workers and even bosses respond better to procedure than emotions.
• Document the same, just for keeps: Your boss is basically being petty and abusing her power. However, instead of taking it further, just send a quick email to yourself (timestamped) summarizing what happened, in case there is an escalation.
• Be normal as usual with your boss: Even if your boss is miffed at you, she took your personal belongings and started it all. There’s no need to be awkward with her; just keep it business as usual. On the flip side, don’t try to be overly effusive, either.
• Bring more economical tea to the office: If all of this still fails, simply choose to bring cheaper tea to the office, that you can afford to share. You can enjoy your more exotic and expensive flavors at home. In case your boss is forward enough to ask, simply say they were a gift, and you had only two boxes that you brought to the office.

You didn’t overreact, and the “prank” was pretty creative, and relatively harmless. Now’s the time to keep it clean and classy, and lock up your leaves. Remember to have your tea, and not dish it. Here are some more workplace stories that might cheer you up.