updates: Diet Coke as a religious accommodation, coworker loves shoplifting, and more

by Alison Green on December 2, 2024

It’s “where are you now?” month at Ask a Manager, and all December I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past. Here are four updates from past letter-writers.

There will be more posts than usual this week, so keep checking back throughout the day.

1. An industry colleague is lying to me about a dispute we had years ago

Oh boy do I have an update. Buckle up!

I took your advice and filed the interaction as “intel about Elsa.” The coffee got cancelled because her kids were sick, we never rescheduled it, and I never heard anything more about the case study. While I dreamed of doing a “mic drop” moment, I decided to be the bigger person here.

And then … my organization got restructured, and while my job is safe, I have been seconded to a different organization in the same industry. It’s a great development opportunity and I’m mostly enjoying it. Except…

For the last few months, I have been working with Elsa on a joint application for federal funding for the program I work for. The whole way through, she and Sven were very clear that they wanted to partner with us. I would have preferred we didn’t, given Elsa and Sven’s past behavior, but it was already in train when I arrived so it was a case of sucking it up.

The day after the deadline for funding applications closed, I got an email from the funder asking for clarification about the two applications. At which point, my brain exploded.

Sven and Elsa have put in a separate funding application for the same project. They took the information we shared in good faith, undercut the partnership, and made it sound like the partnership was submitted under duress, when we have emails and texts to the contrary.

My CEO saw red and contacted their board, who had no idea that Sven had put the application in. In fact, they’d just congratulated Sven on his efforts to collaborate with us! When cornered, Sven apparently said he was “covering his bases, and it’s not personal.”

So now the future of our funding (and my job) is in jeopardy, I spend half my day screenshotting emails and writing file notes for every interaction with Sven and Elsa, and I’ve come to the conclusion that they missed their callings as Shakespearian-level actors. It’s a crazy world…

2. Coworker says she loves shoplifting

Our young shoplifting friend has been a source of chaos and positive change, so I thought I would send a tiny update.

The self-described shoplifter, “Alice,” was seen rummaging through Security Guy’s drawers looking for his keys to a locked cabinet. He got mad at her (even vented about getting her fired, but considering that neither of us has that power, I think he was just blowing off steam) and I gather he was pretty harsh.

At our next all-staff, Alice began crying as she described how upset she was about being chastised for this faux pas. The locked cabinet contains items like beanies, metallic blankets, and water bottles for use in one-on-one conversations with our most vulnerable patrons, and she was trying to help someone in a way that was 100% in line with her job. Security Guy gruffly offered to unlock the cabinet in the morning and relock it when he leaves so that those items are freely available to the front desk staff during the day. (Even though the cabinet is in a locked staff area, stuff gets stolen overnight.)

So not a huge update but I thought people might enjoy that her anarchic energy does some good in the workplace! There was a very informative discussion in the comments about shoplifting. Apparently, for a lot of people it’s a pretty normal part of growing up and young adulthood that those of us who didn’t/don’t participate just have no idea about.

Separately, I listened to a podcast episode about the book Who Moved My Cheese? and realized that lingering trauma from a very mean boss that I had when I was fresh out of college is probably part of why I am so solicitous about the young people in my workplace, but that’s neither here nor there.

3. I got chastised for intervening with a friend’s hiring efforts (#2 at the link)

You were right on the money. I apologized to Ben the next week (it was the earliest we had a chance to talk privately) and his response was more or less to forget about it — he accepted my apology and said quote “that’s last week’s problem.” It hasn’t come up again since.

It turns out that the reason they were being canny about hiring was because they already had someone in the pipeline — a returning employee who has since started and is fantastic. She is doing a great job and I can see why they would worry about anything that jeopardized her ability to join us. I think my biggest mistake was not trusting Ben, et al to make a good call here.

There don’t seem to have been any long-term ramifications. We are expanding my part of the organization and I have been tapped as the subject-area lead (think most senior non-management person) on a new team we are now forming. The role is not a promotion in itself, but it’s high-importance/high-visibility and opens up a clear avenue for promotion in the next year or two that I didn’t have before. Abe (my manager) and I did a sort of mini-performance review in preparation for my transition to that and absolutely nothing about this issue was mentioned; I am still considered a top performer. (It still could come up in my “real” yearly review, I guess, but I don’t know that I expect it to at this point.)

I want to thank you and the commenters for the advice and discussion. It was fascinating to see such divided opinions — some people were like “why is this a problem at all?” and some people were like “this was even worse than you thought and a borderline fireable offense.” As best I can tell, it boils down to organizational culture, and I was over the line for my particular org.

4. Employee is demanding Diet Coke as a religious accommodation

My friend and I read through your answer together, which was helpful for us to get a conversation started about what to do, and then talked through a few possible scenarios. We are both managers and I had never encountered a situation like this before so it was very interesting to discuss how to ensure that someone’s religious accommodation is met and that they feel included in an event, while also aligning with the mission of the organization.

My friend ended up telling Jane that Diet Coke would not be served at the event, and that that was non-negotiable, and then asked her if she would like to be involved in picking the mocktail options. As I understand it, she did push back a bit, but eventually decided that she wanted to help pick non-alcoholic drinks to ensure there would be something she liked. Ultimately this seemed to go over well, and the fundraiser was successful.

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{ 72 comments }

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  1. bruh*

    Alice sounds difficult but sincere, which is a mixture I find frustrating! It’s easier when difficult people are also jagoffs.

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    1. LookAtMeI'mTheManagerNow*

      Part of sincerity is understanding how your actions will be perceived by others and how that affects your goals. Alice is thinking “My intentions are good, so I’m not doing anything wrong”, but rifling through the security guard’s desk is an obviously inappropriate thing to do.

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        1. December Already*

          +1

          Your reputation matters….unfortunately I don’t think Alice will realize this and will think the security guard was overreacting.

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        1. LookAtMeI'mTheManagerNow*

          Then you bring up the situation with him to his face, and if that doesn’t work, to the boss. This isn’t King’s Quest.

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        2. Resident Catholicville, U.S.A.*

          Yeah, we don’t know the entire situation- it sounds like he wasn’t at the desk, so she couldn’t ask for the keys and needed to get into the cabinet right then to help a patron. From what it sounds like, the OP thinks this is a positive change, so apparently there have been issues with people having access to the cabinet so having it unlocked and readily available is a bonus.

          I’m not advocating for coworkers rooting around in other peoples’ desks on a regular basis, but it’s my understanding that desks are part of a workplace and access to them is available to coworkers if something work related is needed. I don’t love the idea of my coworkers opening my drawers to find something, but if it’s work related and I’m not there to ask, I can’t fault them for it. My boss was out of the office last week and I got into her desk for work related material. I once had a coworker tell me she would raid other peoples’ desks for *snacks* and that I objected to, but if she had said she needed a pen or a file I had in my desk, I wouldn’t love her doing it, but it’d be understandable.

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        3. Dust Bunny*

          We had an access-to-supplies issue for a little while at one of my jobs but we solved it by getting two other people keys and permission to access the cabinets. That was enough to cover it.

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        4. commensally*

          Yeah, I work at a library, and while that wouldn’t be an everyday thing, if we had someone at the desk who was going out to sleep rough and needed a thermal blanket, we would do what we needed to find the keys rather than turn them out in the cold without the help we had to give!

          If it was a case of she could have run into the other room and asked for them, that’s different, but it sounds like he wasn’t accessible, and this had been a regular problem before. (This is why you shouldn’t discuss your love of theft at work – you might *have* to ruffle through somebody’s desk drawer at some point, and you don’t want any reason for them to suspect it was for anything but legit work reasons.)

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  2. Juicebox Hero*

    The Holy Diet Coke has been taking up way too much of my brainpower since it was first published. I’m glad there was a drama-free resolution.

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    1. What, why?*

      The Diet Coke issue just makes me wish the Fug Girls had an advice column. This question is right up their alley and the answer would probably be from the spirit of Karl Lagerfeld.

      Reply ↓
  3. Momma Bear*

    Yikes LW1. We’re going to need an update to that update. I hope you can figure it out and keep your job. That was really underhanded of them!

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    1. Antilles*

      I hope #1’s company is getting the legal department involved. I can’t speak for OP’s field, but in my field, there would either be some kind of Teaming Agreement involved and/or client submittal guidelines which would prohibit this and send Sven and Elsa up a creek.

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      1. Grant anon*

        Yeah, similar rules for joint applications, though I seem to be in a slightly different sector than you.

        OP, I’m so sorry you were depending on that funding and that these two stellar human beings doubled down on their deceitful and reality-bending behaviour. I truly hope that you can find a workable solution for you/your group and leave this mess behind in 2024!

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      2. FrivYeti*

        Speaking as someone at a not-for-profit, the major problem here is that even if there are client submission guidelines to prohibit this, the fact that the partnership was undermined in this way is likely to sink the joint application regardless. From the funder’s perspective, they’ve just been handed proof positive that the partnership doesn’t work.

        In the long run, it probably won’t be a stain on LW1’s organization, because the problem didn’t originate from them, but it’s highly unlikely that the funder will offer to fund only their side of a joint proposal.

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        1. FricketyFrack*

          Might it depend on how the board of Sven/Elsa’s org handles it – if they fire those two and make it clear that the solo application can be scrapped because the submitters went rogue, could the joint application still be salvaged? I don’t know much about how non-profit funding works because, while I work in a government office that does some funding, my job only barely touches that side of things.

          Just seems like it would be a shame for everyone else at both orgs to suffer because two people are backstabbers.

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      3. Insert Clever Name Here*

        Also in a different industry, but I negotiate these types of agreements for federal funding requests and there is absolutely an “Exclusivity” clause that would cover this. Sven and Elsa are WILD.

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    2. Anon Again... Naturally*

      Seconding the need for a further update. These people took the second chance you gave them and not only burned the fields, they salted the ground. I hope things work out okay for you, and you never have to deal with those two again (ideally because they’re chased out of the industry for their unethical behavior).

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    3. What, why?*

      How awkward is it going to be for LW#1 if they are awarded the joint grant and have to administer it together for years? Yikes. I know closing your work unit for lack of funds and having to job hunt is not great but neither is being forced into a close and long-term partnership with those two vipers.

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    1. cindylouwho*

      There is a real culture of people who don’t view shoplifting necessities from major corporations as a victim-ed crime. I’m definitely not going to do it, but I do partially get where they’re coming from.

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      1. New Yorker*

        It’s not really true that it’s victimless though. I’m in NYC where shoplifting is RAMPANT. And the result is that everything at the drugstore/Target – from lotion to ice cream! (seriously) to shower gel to band aids — is behind locked cases. You have to ring a bell and then wait for someone to come and unlock the case. For every item you want. Some places won’t even let you carry the item with you; you then have to pick it up behind the check-out counter.

        It’s SO.ANNOYING and such a waste of time. I try not to order things online (e.g. Amazon) because that only erodes local business, but it’s becoming more and more difficult. And then corporations raise prices so those of us who do pay end up subsidizing those who shoplift; and then they shoplift even more because the prices are even higher.

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        1. Resentful Oreos*

          Yes to how annoying it is to find so many necessary items behind locked cases. My area is not notorious for crime, but my local drugstores, Target, and so on, lock up a lot of stuff anyway. You have to wait for a harried clerk to come unlock things, and this clerk usually has a row of customers trailing after them like ducklings while they go from case to case. It’s extremely inconvenient.

          I just order online from Walmart or Amazon these days. It’s less hassle. I know, local business, etc. but it’s a two-way street; they have to do their part to be inviting to customers as well, and shoplifters really ruin that for everyone.

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        2. JB*

          It’s not clear, though, whether putting things in locked cabinets are really due to existing rampant shoplifting or whether that’s the excuse the stores are using to put everything behind glass so that the store can cut down on the number of employees working in the store. Same with raising prices and closing stores; there have been stories debunking claims of corporations that shoplifting was causing the increased prices/store closures when what really happened was that the stores wanted to take those actions and they blamed it on shoplifting.

          I do agree, though, that it’s not a victimless crime. By definition, there is a victim–the store. We can debate whether that’s a victim we the general public needs to care about when the items being stolen aren’t necessities, but that’s not the same thing as whether or not there’s someone/an entity being stolen from.

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          1. New Yorker*

            It’s due to rampant shoplifting. It actually takes *more* employees to have things locked up because now, in additional to the cashiers, the store has to have 1-2 roving employees to constantly unlock the cases.

            I’ve been in a Duane Reade where I literally saw someone shoveling items into a bag in front of the cashier, while she was yelling at him to stop stealing. He just walked out the door. I’ve seen people walk out of the store past security guards with items that were clearly stolen/shoplifted. There was an interesting/depressing article in the NY Times this past week about someone who stole from a Target in SoHo every.day until they locked up the stuff he stole.

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            1. Palliser*

              I live in the East Village and read that NYT article as well. It really was depressing, and I miss being able to pick up toothpaste without at Target without assistance. You’re spot on!

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              1. New Yorker*

                I think the most infuriating part to me was that he was reselling the items to bodegas – they clearly knew they were buying stolen goods! No one cares and there are no repercussions. It took one manager tracking the items until it totaled over $1,000 but how many managers will do that? And then in the mean time, I have to wait for someone to unlock a case to buy a $5 tube of CVS brand hand lotion; and feel like I can’t take time smell different shower gel scents because the employee is standing next to me waiting to lock up the case.

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                1. Resentful Oreos*

                  Resellers! I think part of the problem could be solved if there was some way of really cracking down on resellers. Not secondhand sellers or garage-sale people or those who clean out their closets and sell on EBay, but those who knowingly take stolen goods for resale.

                  I know “it fell off the back of a truck, I swear” is a tale as old as time, but it keeps the mass shoplifters (as opposed to people who just swipe one thing) in business.

                  And words cannot describe how annoying it is to wait for a clerk to unlock a cabinet so I can get my toothpaste or whatever.

            2. boof*

              I am a little aghast that stealing isn’t prosecuted, NGL. I totally understand why employees are explicitly told not to get physical with anyone, that’s really unsafe for them, but is the idea that since any one theft is a misdemeanor so police won’t bother? @-@ yikes.

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          2. Myrin*

            I’m not familiar with this at all – this comment section is the first time I’ve heard of whole shops where everything is locked up – so I might be missing something obvious but I’m not following the “stuff behind glass = fewer employees” logic. Wouldn’t there have to be more employees if literally every customer needs to have literally everything they want unlocked instead of just grabbing it?

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          3. Clementine*

            I don’t think they are locking stuff up to save on employees. If there were no theft, then there’d be no need for the lockup and they would save on needing employees to unlock everything. Having locked cases also means that it’s much harder for customers to make spontaneous purchases, which also cuts their revenue.

            If a store has to close due to theft, the neighborhood is also a collateral victim, and all of its customers who relied on that store.

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          4. Jack Russell Terrier*

            Here in DC its endemic.

            There are actually ‘faganlike’ gangs where someone recruits teens and has them push out whole carts of tide and give it over to them and get paid

            They reduced the law on the value of what someone steals for it to be a criminal offence (I forget if only for a juvinile) so they saw it as free money.

            They’ve changed that back to a value higher I believe.

            There are so much more threads but police have been apparently trying to target the ‘gang leaders’ of these groups of thieves.

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    2. Typity*

      Alice is a thief, just like people who take cash out of the register or steal packages off someone else’s porch. Not much lovable there.

      Reply ↓
  6. Kes*

    Wow, what a set of updates! And I hadn’t actually read any of the originals, so quite the set of stories all in all.
    1 – what a rollercoaster. I think we’ll need an update to the update. Elsa and Sven are… really something. I’m sorry you have to work with them. Hopefully the funder sees through them (although… at this point you may not want to have to deal with a prolonged program with them). I hope the board starts to realize how messed up they are as well
    2 – it sounds like Alice had reason to need these items, but rummaging through your coworkers desk to take their keys is not really an okay thing in general, let alone when the person whose keys you’re trying to take is security! It’s not clear if she even tried to find/ask security guy in the first place, before going into his desk. She sounds very clueless about what is acceptable in the workplace, in a not great way
    3 – to me what you did sounds like a slight overstep but not that bad unless they had specifically told you to keep it quiet. But I’m glad everything worked out, for the hiring and for you.
    4 – what a great title. The religious accommodation here though is to provide non-alcoholic options, since that’s what her religion requires, not diet coke specifically. Agreed with Alison that in other contexts it would make sense to provide it anyway but she needs to understand here that it’s specifically against the values of the organization and that won’t be changing. Sounds like the situation was handled well though.

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    1. good advice*

      my thing with number 4 is that the company is promoting healthy choices so won’t serve soda but will serve alcohol. agree diet Coke as a religious accommodation is a bit much

      Reply ↓
      1. LL*

        I had the same thought. If they truly want to provide healthy options, they shouldn’t be providing alcohol either.

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  7. ubotie*

    “Apparently, for a lot of people it’s a pretty normal part of growing up and young adulthood that those of us who didn’t/don’t participate just have no idea about”

    Look, shoplifting for survival is one thing (and in my experience, the people who resort to it want to only do it for as shortly as possible, hate doing it, etc).

    But shoplifting for kicks and giggles doesn’t actually harm “The Man.” Yes, giant chain stores and mega-billion-dollar companies won’t miss that $9 from shoplifting a snack-size of chips. But it does hurt the minimum-wage employees and customers via suppressed wages and higher prices. Is that fair? No.

    And it *does* actually hurt the owners of small businesses, leading to higher prices, worse wages for employees (and/or fewer employees which all negatively impacts customer service), higher insurance rates, more security, etc.

    So Alice’s “fun, harmless” hobby is not actually all that “fun” and “harmless.” I’m a little surprised this link (or its follow-up) weren’t posted back when the original letter ran because it’s just as true/relevant then as it is now.

    https://tomatonation.com/vine/the-vine-september-19-2001/

    https://tomatonation.com/vine/the-vine-march-7-2002/

    Reply ↓
    2. Resentful Oreos*

      Tomato Nation! That brings back memories! I miss Sars! (Not the virus, Sarah the person)

      She’s right. Shoplifting is not sticking it to the man. If anything, it’s sticking it to the little guy who now has to wait for an overworked clerk to drop what they’re doing and unlock a case so they can get deodorant and Advil. Feh.

      Maybe I always ran with the wrong crowd, but I never was immersed in the “shoplifting is cool” culture. And I ran with some very…countercultural people!

      Even my friend who is an actual anarchist thinks it’s a terrible idea for various reasons. Mostly because it’s very ineffective at the Sticking It To The Man goal and risks you landing in jail.

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    3. Strive to Excel*

      Thing is – the giant chain stores *do* notice those chips going away, and there’s so much bad stuff that results.

      Things like highly-stolen items (which are also often things people feel very vulnerable about) then getting locked behind doors. This is annoying enough when it’s chips and soda, but feminine hygiene? Contraceptives? Toothbrushes and toothpaste? You *want* people to be able to access and purchase those easily.

      And all those costs aren’t being absorbed by the company. They’re being passed on to us as higher markups on products and lower wages for employees.

      The reply from the Vine was epic. 100/10.

      Reply ↓
      1. Wayward Sun*

        Baby formula is another big one. Often locked up because it’s frequently shoplifted, not for personal use but because it’s lucrative to resell.

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  8. cindylouwho*

    I feel like the security guard in LW2’s letter needs to apologize to Alice? She was just doing her job and he threatened to get her fired…

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    1. Statler von Waldorf*

      No he doesn’t. She wasn’t “just doing her job.” She was attempting to break into a locked filing cabinet. That’s a criminal action all by itself in my jurisdiction, even if her intentions were as pure as the three feet of snow that fell here last week.

      If she needed something to do her job, that means she needs to talk to a manager about getting access to that. If a company doesn’t provide me with a PC, I can’t pull a slim-jim out of my pocket and break into the computer room and help myself, even if I need a PC to do my job. I’d get arrested. She got off lucky.

      I’ll save my comments on white women’s tears being used to avoid the consequences of one’s actions for another time, I don’t have time today for that pile-on.

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      1. cindylouwho*

        She wasn’t “breaking into a locked cabinet.” She was literally just trying to open a cabinet that having access to is part of her job. You don’t even know if she’s white?

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      2. IEanon*

        Meh, we have one or two desks with keys in them for expensive or secure items. When the person who manages those keys is at an event or out of the office for any reason, we definitely go into their office and grab them from the drawers. It’s been that way in every office I’ve worked in.

        If someone needs a laptop (forgot theirs, event offsite, spilled coffee on theirs, etc.), they can absolutely let themselves into the supply room and grab another one.

        Your desk at work is not your private property. We all have one locked drawer in our desks that’s off-limits (though not all of us use it), but the rest is open to your coworkers, since we don’t own the furniture. Norms are not the same across all employers.

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        1. Statler von Waldorf*

          You’re right that norms are not the same across all employers. I can only speak to mine, which have all been clear that accessing secured materials without authorization will get you fired. I have personally processed the firing paperwork for a receptionist who was fired for letting an employee have access to a locked room. She was fired for cause, even though nothing was stolen. She appealed, and she lost that appeal.

          To give you some background on why I feel so strongly about this, my current desk contains confidential information that I have a legal duty to protect, and I can be held liable under local privacy laws if the information in that desk is not protected. I take that seriously, and I’m not dealing with getting sued and fined because a co-worker thinks my locked desk is free real estate. And yes, I have dealt with that exact issue.

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      3. Daphne*

        She wasn’t trying to pick the lock; she was looking for keys. Using keys to access something you are authorized to access is hardly breaking in, and it’s hardly a criminal action.

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        1. Wayward Sun*

          It may not be criminal, but most places I’ve worked taking another employee’s keys is frowned upon at best and usually a policy violation. Mind you, so is leaving them unattended in your desk drawer.

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    2. PurpleShark*

      Well, she admitted proudly that she shoplifts. Then she wants to get into a locked drawer but does not want to ask the owner of the desk she is trying to get into for assistance. If someone thinks she is a thief, then she has only herself to blame for that misunderstanding. I see where you are coming from, but apologizing to her for thinking she is stealing is not an outlandish thought here.

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      1. In My Underdark Era*

        eh, we don’t even know if Security Guy knows about the shoplifting comment. it could be common knowledge in the library by now or it could have been a throwaway comment in april that two people heard and never brought up again, we just don’t know. I know for a lot of people that would change their read of the situation, but for all we know Alice could have a totally normal workplace reputation among those who weren’t listening to that conversation.

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  10. hello*

    OP1 as others have said I hope legal is getting involved. My comment isn’t fair to you but I’d almost start looking for another job so that Sven and Elsa can’t rely on your expertise. You have time now to search while waiting for the funding reply to start your search. Just pondering do you really want to work/ coordinate with such people. It sounds like your boss is on your side for a great reference. If you decide not to look for another position (stand your ground), I’d demand to everyone everywhere to be taken off all projects involving Sven and Elsa. I am so angry for you. They truly backstabbed you and threw you under the bus. We definitely need an update!

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    1. Grant anon*

      “They truly backstabbed you and threw you under the bus.”
      Oof, yeah. The sheer brazeness of their behaviour is truly something else.

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  12. Resentful Oreos*

    LW1 – I really, truly am pulling for you to be able to find a new job stat! Sven and Elsa are pieces of work. They are THE WORST! Terrible, terrible people, untrustworthy coworkers, and I hope that the book gets thrown at them somehow. It’s good that you have notes and files and a paper trail; here is where you will need them.

    LW2: I discussed the morality or lack thereof about shoplifting in some comments, but I want to address Alice: if she is going to brag about being a thief, she shouldn’t be surprised Pikachu when someone doesn’t trust her rummaging through their desk! I wouldn’t yell at the security guard – Alice didn’t present herself as trustworthy, and then went through his desk without asking, so of course he might assume the worst. Alice played a stupid game, and was lucky to just win a bubblegum-machine level of stupid prize here.

    If keeping necessary supplies accessible rather than locked up will help, then that might be something you could consider. It doesn’t sound like Alice is a bad person, just clueless as to how she might come across to others. At least she was open about it, not like Elsa and Sven, I guess? But lesson here for her and others: if you want people to trust you, then don’t brag about your untrustworthy or illegal activities.

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  13. KT*

    Omg I love the podcast drop about Who Moved My Cheese? For anyone who is interested, I’m guessing it was the one dropped by If Books Could Kill, which is a podcast by a former investigative reporter and former lawyer about how bad science in pop culture science books messes with society.

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    1. Generic Name*

      I took a leadership class at my last job, and one class consisted entirely of each person in the class taking turns reading the entirety of Who Moved My Cheese aloud. Yes, it was as painful as you’d imagine it to be.

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  14. What, why?*

    I’m concerned how many commenters don’t seem to find Alice’s behavior out of line, or even find her to be an awesome chaos problem solver. I don’t think the OP is doing Alice any favors if she thinks it is generally acceptable to be rummaging a coworker’s desk, taking keys not issued to her and taking items from a locked cabinet, even if she was planning to use them within scope.

    At my workplace, this would be termination for cause and potential charges, not an exaggeration. I’m a CPA so the standards may be different but this is not a workplace norm. A newer employee needs to either find the holder of the desk/keys or a more senior employee to assist and not just help themselves to whatever they want just because.

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    1. Wayward Sun*

      I’m entrusted with master keys for most of the building. I’d be pretty unhappy (and probably in trouble) if an Alice got hold of them and started going around taking stuff.

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      1. What, why?*

        Exactly! In my workplace, the employees with keys are responsible for the items that are locked up, getting sign out sheets, approvals for issuance, cost chargebacks and grant itemized lists, etc. Businesses with reasonable internal controls and/or federal funding of supplies and equipment don’t just let people take whatever they want because they all have good intentions dontcha know.

        Reply ↓

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