Wouldn't you consider this stealing???

Published

Hey guys,

At my LTC facility, the 3-11 supervisor and the 11-7 supervisor (me) share an office. Since it is not used during the day, our wound care nurses, whose office is on the other end of the building, have been allowed to use our office to work out of while they are on this end of the building. I understand this, as their charts and supplies are cumbersome to run back and forth so far.

Anyhoo, the problem started about six months ago. I noticed that office supplies, such as notepads, legal pads, etc were going missing out of my desk. I didn't think much of it, but it was annoying when I needed to leave a note for someone and my notepad would be gone. So when I was at Walmart, I bought a 4-pack of thick, neon-colored supersticky post-its that were about 4 inches wide and 6 inches long and lined. I figured these would be perfect for leaving notes attached to papers, etc... even better than my facility notepads since I wouldn't have to attach them with paperclips. So I put them in my drawer and started using them, first using them to post some numbers and stuff on the wall over my desk.

Well, that next week they were gone out of my drawer. I hunted everywhere, even at home thinking maybe in a senior moment I had stuck them in my bag and carried them home. No luck. A few days later, one of the wound care nurses had left some charts on the desk they used, and on the front of one was a note written on one of my stickies! :angryfire I never go through anyone else's desk, but I opened their desk drawers and in the bottom drawer hidden under a stack of blank records, were all four of my sticky pads. I took them back and used one to leave them a note saying I bought these with my own money and to please not take them. They left a brief note back saying "sorry- thought you'd gotten them from office suppies." Now, they knew the office doesn't supply stuff like that, and even if it did that doesn't give them the right to go into my drawer and take them!!! But I tried to be civil.

Here's the straw that broke the camel's back. Since the weekend night supervisors use the office too, I figured it would be good for us to have a bulletin board to communicate with eachother. Next time I was in Walmart, I found a perfect cloth-faced bulletin board with an unusual shape, very pretty. I also bought some gorgeous thumbtacks that looked like round balls of clear amber. It came with a mounting kit, and I borrowed a hammer from maintenance and my husband carefully hung it in the office. I tacked up an inspirational saying and a little cartoon. Two days later, when I came to work at 11pm, the board was GONE. The cartoon and saying were left in the middle of my desk. The 3-11 supervisor knew nothing about it, even the nails had been removed from the wall. I know where the actual wound care office is, and I knew noone would be there that time of night. A maintenance worker was still in the facility stripping the floors, and I borrowed his key to open the wound care office. THERE, HANGING OVER THE WOUND CARE NURSES' DESK WAS MY BULLETIN BOARD! My beautiful amber pins were now holding up their schedule! I was livid, I took it down, took the nails out of their wall and brought it back to my office. That morning I called my DON and told her the whole story, and she was majorly ticked off at them since being able to use my office was basically a courtesy to them. She spoke with them, and their excuse was that they had been asking the supply clerk to get them a bulletin board and when they saw that one in my office they thought it had been left in there by mistake and that it was supposed to be theirs.

Well, to me this is STEALING. They knew darn well that was not theirs to take. My DON didn't buy it either, and now they are no longer allowed to work out of this office, they have a cart to carry all the stuff back and forth to their office in the back. I say good riddance. Apparently they are mad at me and spreading crap about me being a brat. What do you guys think? Did I overreact?

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Specializes in ICU, ER, HH, NICU, now FNP.

Nope you did the right thing! If you were nice enough to let them use your office, the LEAST they could do is RESPECT it as YOURS!!!

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yeah I would probablly be livid too, they could have asked first before assuming.........and it wasn't just one instance.

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Lori...I don't blame you for being upset. Nor do I blame you for reporting them to your facility's DON....I would have done the same thing. I can't imagine going through someone else's desk drawers to begin with.....my mother taught me better than that!! It is just plain lack of respect for another professional. I am sorry that this happened to you. Keep your chin up...you did the right thing.;)

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Specializes in aged -adolescent.

They probably don't regard it as stealing but yes it is bloody annoying. You might need to label everything as your personal property. It's a nuisance though.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

You did not over-react. It is stealing.

I hope that things settle down and you guys can have a peaceful existance with the understand that property that the other party doesn't own is not available for their personal use.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

I order printed post its and notepads that say at the top "FROM THE DESK OF MUTLICOLLINEARITY"

People tend to not steal those.

I think the theft of the post its was bad, but a common 'sin.' However, the theft of the board is just downright shocking and reveals a significant lack of regard.

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.

I'm not sure I'd consider it ''stealing'' when they take it out of one office at work to use in their own office. Annoying, yes, but it sounds as if they thought it was all the property of your workplace. I had to make a point of telling a co-worker that helped herself to some desk supplies that were sitting unassembled in my office. She didn't realize I had paid for them myself. It was still very annoying that she just took something off my desk, but I wouldn't quite consider it theft. What would bother me more is that people are going in your desk.

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I think it's stealing because it was in YOUR office-not theirs and not the supply office or supply room. Downright disrespectful and I would have been pretty ticked off myself!

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That's horrid... what would she have done next? Taken your photos out of the frames on your desk and replaced them with hers? You did the right thing, and honestly, if she can't be trusted with access to post-its and such, what else is she taking? :uhoh3: It boggles the mind.....

Hugs,

Christina

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Specializes in Ortho/Neuro.

OOOHHH! That made me mad just reading this! What is wrong with people???? I hope that this stops and that they no longer have any access to your office, they obviously abused this privlige!!!!!:angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

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Specializes in critical care transport.

The only thing they can do is spread stuff about you. At least your DON knows the history of this and your butt is covered if this were to get out of hand.

You are not being nitpicky or anything. You were right on. What gives them the right? People are taking advantage of you being nice. That is the biggest illustration of disrespect if I ever saw one.

Screw 'em. They made their own bed, they can sleep in it.

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