Many of us have pet peeves at the office. Here's one of mine.

I keep a mug on my desk with pens, pencils, markers, etc. I have a preference for certain types of pens and a mechanical pencil, so I order those for my own use. One of my guys in the shop likes the pencils, and likes to use a red pen on his time card call attention to jobs he worked on or whatever. That's OK, I'll keep him supplied with what he wants.

Instead of asking me for a new red pen, magic marker, mechanical pencil, he "steals" one from my mug, replacing it with the dirty/used up one. Last week I went to grab my red pen. It was leaking and I didn't realize it. Of course it wasn't mine, it was the nice dirty, leaking "replacement" pen.

I know this guy thinks it's a big joke and waits for me to say something, he'd also play innocent if I called him on it. I get a bit of satisfaction by not playing his game, but have to admit it annoys me to grab a pen/pencil and get a greasy one out of the mug.

I could put all my pens in my desk, but why bother. I figure if it makes the 62 going on 17 guy happy, I can live with it, even though I'll complain about it.

Do you have a pet peeve at the office?

 

Put some kind of leaking spraying joke kind of pen in there for him to get next time and then when he steals it just chuckle inside, instead of at him, he'll get the point so to speak. You know that he knows that you know something like that.

 

That is so unprofessional for that guy to do something like that. I don't think that is funny and I don't find it amusing. I wouldn't tolerate such behavior but that's just me. I haven't seen anything that bothers me so far.

 

Lainey, get one of those exploding pens from the James Bond movies and blow the guy to hell!

 

Ok, my pet peeve. Subordinates who go to meetings and don't take any notes. They all suffer from delusions of a photographic memory. then after the meeting they ask me to repeat what I said at the meeting.

 

BUT my office is not what one would call "professional." It's a very casual office in a small manufacturing firm. IF that works for the owner, who am I to say otherwise?

 

Now that may be giving him a dose of his own medicine! Good idea. You are the brains behind all this, aren't you?

 

My "office" isn't professional either, but i absolutely do not tolerate anyone messing with my stuff! I'm working on an idea for you, Lainey. In the mean time, just shoot him if you don't want to wait!

 

^
Can't wait to see what a creative Vintage mind comes up with. Keep in mind my boss may grab a pencil or pen out of there too.

Though in defense of the culprit, he is the one who baits a mousetrap for me, when the little critters try to set up house in my office. He also removes the kills. Maybe I should let him steal my pens and keep my trap shut.

 

Sure, Lainey. Just when I start to get "creative" you go and ruin it for me with trivial mitigating factors!