Manager steals my private posessions
Manager steals my private posessions
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Discussion

Z064life

Original Poster:

1,926 posts

277 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
quotequote all
So I'm at work and there is a team do and I decline (7 days prior) due to personal engagements. For days (despite telling my manager before he buys anything for the numbers going to the do) I tell my manager I cannot make the evening.

However, he steals my train ticket that was on my desk, and refuses to give them back, effectively forcing me to come to the do, change my plans, and then says that one of the 8 people in the group has my pass (getting others involved in his childishness). Completely against my will. Jokes etc are fine, but taking people's possessions is something else and it's not the first time as he has written messages on my phone (my phone locks after 5 seconds of inactivity but viber pops messages up in front of the password screen, which is annoying, but that's no excuse).


Needless to say, I'm livid, and to add to that he blabs that I earn the most in the team (I doubt it, I am the youngest and most junior!!) and because I have a certain credit card, I have over x amount in savings. Now the entire team think they are entitled to a drink on me!!

I'm planning to report this to my head of dept (the train ticket thing at least). Any tips? I don't want a whole backlash thing and job security risked (though I cannot see how as I've done nothing wrong here).

For context, I'm not on probation and been in this job for 1 year 10 months (less than the 2 year can be sacked for no reason thing). My train ticket was on my desk, but most people leave people's posessions at their desk. He took it as someone came to my desk to discuss a work-related matter at EOP (I don't leave personal posessions unsupervised).


Thanks

SHutchinson

2,363 posts

213 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
quotequote all
He doesn't consider you to be an adult. Ask yourself why. Regardless, he's acting in a juvenile way.

BJG1

5,966 posts

241 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
quotequote all
Have you spoken to him about it? In that situation I'd have been telling him in no uncertain terms that whilst I don't mind a joke, he needs to give those tickets back before I leave at the end of the day because I'm not coming.

valiant

14,126 posts

189 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
quotequote all
You need to sit down with him and explain to him that you find his behaviour inappropriate and unless things change you may have to take it higher. Be wary of the two year rule though, Mr Manager may claim that you're the disruptive one and at the end of the day who are they going to believe? Far easier to get rid of you.

Or, buy a first class rail ticket and send the bill to accounts asking for reimbursement due to your manager acting like a dick...


t400ble

1,804 posts

150 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
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Dont leave stuff around when your not at you desk would also be a good starting point.

MacW

1,351 posts

205 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
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t400ble said:
Dont leave stuff around when your not at you desk would also be a good starting point.
So would actually reading the OP.

james_gt3rs

4,816 posts

220 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
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What is your job out of interest?

okgo

42,090 posts

227 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
quotequote all
james_gt3rs said:
What is your job out of interest?
I can only assume it's in a supermarket or similar?

Anyone who is the manager of anyone who thinks having a credit card is the litmus test of anything is clearly a moron.

TIGA84

5,584 posts

260 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
quotequote all
Steling your property = gross misconduct = instant dismissal.

Should be fairly straightforwards.

Do you have an HR department?

Zodiac M

136 posts

159 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
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Is this your manager?


paulrockliffe

16,557 posts

256 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
quotequote all
TIGA84 said:
Steling your property = gross misconduct = instant dismissal.

Should be fairly straightforwards.

Do you have an HR department?
What's been described isn't theft, there was clearly no intent to permanently deprive. It may well be gross misconduct on other grounds though.

blindswelledrat

25,257 posts

261 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
quotequote all
Op you sound like such a massive whining baby (bare with me, this does get constructive). Your whole post reads in a nasal complainy voice that invites workplace bullying like a kebab shop invites a drunk.

The simple answer to your current predicament is to ask your manager for a word in private (thus making it formal without making it formal) and calmly tell him that you think he has gone to far and is not being reasonable. That will sort it out.

Literally the worst thing you could possibly do is to start squealing hysterical dramatic over-reactions like "Help, help, he has stolen my private possession. Not borrowed, or hidden, stolen. Not just any possession but a private one". When you say that exactly no people think "Oh, he's a victim of crime. Poor person, that's awful" and exactly every person in the whole world thinks "What a melodramatic dick"

MitchT

17,114 posts

238 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
quotequote all
I disagree. The OP's manager sounds exactly like the kind of person I was glad to see the back of when I left school. I didn't realise there are adults that behave like this too. The problems is, if the OP doesn't know where his property is he can't repossess it, but if he escalates the matter he gets criticised for over dramatising. The option at school was to use force but that's not a realistic option in the adult world.

TIGA84

5,584 posts

260 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
quotequote all
blindswelledrat said:
Op you sound like such a massive whining baby (bare with me, this does get constructive). Your whole post reads in a nasal complainy voice that invites workplace bullying like a kebab shop invites a drunk.

The simple answer to your current predicament is to ask your manager for a word in private (thus making it formal without making it formal) and calmly tell him that you think he has gone to far and is not being reasonable. That will sort it out.

Literally the worst thing you could possibly do is to start squealing hysterical dramatic over-reactions like "Help, help, he has stolen my private possession. Not borrowed, or hidden, stolen. Not just any possession but a private one". When you say that exactly no people think "Oh, he's a victim of crime. Poor person, that's awful" and exactly every person in the whole world thinks "What a melodramatic dick"
To be fair, the Boss sounds like an absolute stroker, and despite the slight whiny "gareth-from-the-office tone", I'm siding with the OP on this one.

Effectively he's being bullied into something he doesn't want to do by having something "taken"

I'll not use "stolen" although it doesn't say he's got it back, yet.





Hoofy

79,994 posts

311 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
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Zodiac M said:
Is this your manager?

biggrin He came to mind within a seconds of reading the OP.

"I suppose I've created an atmosphere here where I'm a friend first, boss second. Probably an entertainer third."

geeks

11,594 posts

168 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
quotequote all
Sleep with his wife, it's the only way he'll learn!

In a more constructive tone, I would just take him to one side and informally but firmly tell him its not on, while you are all for a laugh and a joke its gone a bit of late and can he wind it in a bit....then sleep with his wife anyway, just be sure!

Foliage

3,861 posts

151 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
quotequote all
Take him into a meeting room and punch him in the balls, make sure their are no witness's, do it in a jokey laughy way, once hes on the floor help him up, and say in his face hahahaha got ya, once hes back on his feet and just about to speak do it again, knuckle to ball nice and firm.

That's what kids do in the playground right?

Or you could take his car keys, or his mobile as a joke have a nice big dump, don't flush and lob them in, tell him where they are, "its just a joke mate"


The guys bullying you, you need to "join in" and bully him back, best way to deal with bullies IMHO, be one of the ladddddsss.

Sir Bagalot

7,079 posts

210 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
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Don't make it official. You will come off worse.

Don't leave your train ticket on your desk.

Your boss is a knob so you have to play him. You should have simply told him that you already had plans and if you didn't get your travelcard back you would simply buy another and expense it.

You've been there almost two years. Sounds like it's time to move on.

Edited by Sir Bagalot on Wednesday 10th June 14:02

Quhet

2,927 posts

175 months

Wednesday 10th June 2015
quotequote all
HE sounds like an absolute .
How large is the organisation you work for?

I'd speak with someone else in a position of responsibility about this if possible. If someone else has a subtle word with him it might kick his ass into gear

mph1977

12,467 posts

197 months

Thursday 11th June 2015
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TIGA84 said:
Steling your property = gross misconduct = instant dismissal.

Should be fairly straightforwards.

Do you have an HR department?
It's almost certainly the kind of matter that does need to go through HR preferably with the support of your union / professional representative organisation / other staff side organisation.