Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

A coworker stole my spicy food, got sick, and is blaming me (2016)

askamanager.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

141–150 of 220 posts

Re: A coworker stole my spicy food, got sick, and is blaming me (2016)

#141

Post by phlakaton »

seattle_spring wrote: post #14

Kind of orthogonal to the story, but anyone who steals lunch or food from a co-worker should be fired immediately. There's a 0% chance that someone who steals others' stuff is a good, honest person in other parts of their life.

I've never had someone steal my lunch, nor have I stolen anybody's lunch, so the issue seems a bit moot to me.

Steal my _chair_, though, and may all the laws of Gods and Men come down upon you in their most unmitigated rigor! That has happened to me _way_ too often.

Re: A coworker stole my spicy food, got sick, and is blaming me (2016)

#142

Post by mathieuh »

sverige wrote: post #115
seattle_spring wrote: post #14

Kind of orthogonal to the story, but anyone who steals lunch or food from a co-worker should be fired immediately. There's a 0% chance that someone who steals others' stuff is a good, honest person in other parts of their life.

I agree completely. Not only does theft make their work untrustworthy, their actions have a huge impact on the morale of their coworkers. I have fired an employee for stealing lunches (with plenty of evidence, of course). I would have fired the person in this story immediately if it were within my power. Similarly, I have also fired people for other obvious character failures, such lying about bereavement leave to ta…

I don't know if I would sack them right off the bat, but I would definitely keep a very close eye on them. The fact that they are adults in the workplace who steal from colleagues definitely points to their character simply being incompatible with societal norms, so who knows what other demoralising actions they are taking part in?

Six-year-old primary school children who haven't been disciplined yet steal lunches. Not supposedly functional members of society.

Re: A coworker stole my spicy food, got sick, and is blaming me (2016)

#143

Post by 49bc »

> Right now I’m working in the previous position with almost double my paycheck, so it’s a great turnaround.

I don't know if this was a good idea. You've signaled to your company that you're willing and able to take legal action against them. How long will your employment last when your neck is sticking out 2x farther than your coworkers and there's a layoff coming around?

Re: A coworker stole my spicy food, got sick, and is blaming me (2016)

#144

Post by sverige »

wcoenen wrote: post #87

This feels like a made-up story designed to attract clicks. Even more with the happy ending update. There are more unlikely stories on the same site, like this one: http://www.askamanager.org/2017/05/im-in-a-dominantsubmissiv...

Unfortunately, my past experiences as a senior operations manager and site director with 500 to 1000 employees, reading these stories only makes me remember similar situations. They are all too believable and real to me.

Re: A coworker stole my spicy food, got sick, and is blaming me (2016)

#146

Post by ggambetta »

xir78 wrote: post #88
jobowoo wrote: post #4

There's an update to the original post. What a lovely ending to the story. http://www.askamanager.org/2016/10/update-a-coworker-stole-m...

It’s so far over the top, it’s hard to see returning rather than thanking them for the mela cupola and moving on.

I think you mean "mea culpa". It's Latin, meaning literally "my fault". Very close to the Spanish version, "mi culpa".

Re: A coworker stole my spicy food, got sick, and is blaming me (2016)

#147

Post by a-dub »

heh. i recently left a pretty toxic environment. about six weeks after i left i got a text message receipt from the restaurant across the street from the old workplace.

apparently someone actually punched in my phone number and redeemed my loyalty points for a free meal.

Re: A coworker stole my spicy food, got sick, and is blaming me (2016)

#148

Post by cortesoft »

sa46 wrote: post #96
cortesoft wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is very illegal. Like, violating the Geneva Conventions level illegal: https://definitions.uslegal.com/b/booby-traps/

It's true that booby traps are not allowed by the Geneva convention but that convention only applies to conduct in a war. I'm curious what law applies in the US.

The Geneva part was a bit of a joke.

The laws vary by state, some allow you to use traps as long as they don't cause serious harm, while others don't let you use them at all. No state allows you to set a lethal booby trap.

Here is the California law about them: https://law.justia.com/codes/california/2005/pen/12355.html

Re: A coworker stole my spicy food, got sick, and is blaming me (2016)

#149

Post by rlayton2 »

icebraining wrote: post #103
lkrubner wrote: post #46

One mystery that continues to fascinate me is when people at work say things to me that are obviously irrational -- are they sincere or is it some kind of manipulative power play? I've had managers ask me things such as "When will the rebuild of the website be done" and I answer "In two months" and they say "You have two weeks" and I say "Maybe 6 weeks, but not 2" and then they repeat "You've got two weeks." I wonder…

By answering "Maybe 6 weeks", you just validated their belief that the full project deadline is negotiable, and so now they're just bargaining from a position of power.

This is the correct answer. When making a concession like this, always take something away. "We can do the website in 6 weeks, but we will have to remove the ability for users to upvote". If that doesn't sit well, send a list of the features, along with their timeframes and ask them to choose which features to cut.

You still get the irrational answers back though unfortunately, but it is a more balanced position.

Re: A coworker stole my spicy food, got sick, and is blaming me (2016)

#150

Post by cortesoft »

cheschire wrote: post #101
cortesoft wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is very illegal. Like, violating the Geneva Conventions level illegal: https://definitions.uslegal.com/b/booby-traps/

A civilian booby trapping their lunch in a non-wartime setting is not a Geneva Conventions violation level of illegal.

The question was about booby traps on your property in general, not about food.
Post reply on HN