If you want to get along with your colleagues and get good results in the workplace, trust is absolutely fundamental. Without it, everything just plain old falls apart. However, a major problem that many employees face is having to deal with food thieves. It’s not just about remaining hungry and losing money, though: it’s a complete breach of boundaries.
Some people decide to take justice into their own hands. For example, redditor u/mahrog123 went massively viral on the ‘Petty Revenge’ online community after opening up about how they taught their lunch-stealing coworker a lesson he never forgot. All with the help of some Trinidad scorpion pepper powder. Scroll down for the full story and to see how the internet reacted. Bored Panda reached out to the author for further comment, and we’ll update the article once we hear back from them.
Unfortunately, food theft is an incredibly common occurrence in workplaces and offices everywhere
Image credits: Mizuno K / pexels (not the actual photo)
One internet user shared how they finally got some spicy revenge against a coworker who kept maliciously stealing their lunch
Image credits: Mel Audelo / pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: mahrog123
Around a third of employees admit to having stolen their colleagues’ food at some point
Zippia reports that a whopping 33% of workers admitted to stealing food from their coworkers. However, the real numbers might be higher. Case in point, 47% of surveyed workers shared that they’ve had their food stolen by their colleagues.
In the United States, the worst place to put food in the fridge is Alaska, where 64.3% of employees have had theirs stolen. On the flip side, anyone living in Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Vermont can relax a bit, as these states have had no admissions of stolen food.
Some of the most commonly stolen food items include drinks, from soda and coffee to juice and Red Bull. Furthermore, food placed on the counter and in candy bowls is generally seen as fair game, so don’t be surprised if someone takes it.
According to the survey conducted by Zippia, 16% of workers think that they don’t need to ask for permission to nab a slice of pizza. Meanwhile, 6% will straight up just take food right from a colleague’s lunch box.
Across the Atlantic, in the United Kingdom, the situation is very similar. According to research by Husky Lifestyle, over a third of people (39%) steal food or drinks from their coworkers.
Moreover, the higher someone is up the corporate hierarchy, the more likely they are to ‘borrow’ other people’s food. 46% of people who have a director position or higher admitted to knowingly stealing someone’s grub.
But they’re not the only group of people who commit this offense so egregiously. 57% of people working in marketing admitted to committing in-office food theft. Meanwhile, 50% of human resources employees admitted to doing the same. On the flip side, Brits working in accounts and administration are the most trustworthy, at least as far as lunch safety is concerned.
Image credits: Mikhail Nilov / pexels (not the actual photo)
There are lots of potential reasons why someone might start stealing lunch out of the communal fridge
At the time of writing, the author’s post had 12k upvotes and over 500 comments. The story resonated with a lot of readers. And for an excellent reason. Food theft is surprisingly common. Unfortunately, there are many workers out there who simply cannot keep their mitts off other people’s food.
For some lunch thieves, nabbing someone’s delicious food is all a matter of convenience. They’re too lazy to make lunch or to go out and buy something. For others, it’s a way to save money. Still, others enjoy the thrill of stealing other people’s property and being malicious.
However, not everyone’s alike. In some cases, the situation is far more nuanced. There are always employees who face food scarcity at home and might not have the means to buy food, so they resort to sneaking bites from everyone else’s lunch.
The irony is that if they were to speak up, their colleagues would likely be happy to share what they have with them. Despite the fact that so many food thieves exist, there are many kind people in the workplace. It’s just a matter of transparency and communication. Though let’s be real, many people would find it shameful to admit that they can’t afford lunch.
Image credits: Ketut Subiyanto / pexels (not the actual photo)
You have a lot of options when it comes to handling workplace thieves
If you do find that you’ve got a malicious lunch-stealing individual on your hands, however, you’ve got a few options aside from spiking your food with burning spices.
For one, you can sit down and talk to them about their behavior. Though everyone knows what they’re doing is wrong, you should still try to avoid accusing or judging them directly. You don’t want them to get overly defensive.
Instead, be calm, and friendly, but clear about your boundaries. Briefly explain how their behavior affects you and explain what will happen if they continue nibbling your sandwiches in the shadows.
If the gastronomic criminality continues, then you should consider escalating the situation. Speak to your manager or a representative of your human resources department. Take it higher up the corporate food chain. If you have evidence or you’re not the only victim, this will help your case.
Have you ever had your lunch stolen by someone at work, dear Pandas? How did you handle the situation? Have you ever gotten revenge against someone who’s taken your food? On the flip side, have you ever ‘borrowed’ someone else’s food from the communal fridge? Tell us all about it in the comments!
Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko / pexels (not the actual photo)
The author later shared a bit more context about what happened
Here’s how some readers reacted to the viral story
A few people had similar experiences and wanted to share them in the comments
