A woman in her early 20s owned an adult toy that looked like lipstick and brought it in her purse to work, leaving it in her belongings outside her working area. Her co-worker’s daughter went through her bag, found the toy, and mistook it for lipstick. The co-worker reprimanded the woman, and the situation was not resolved.
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The Backstory
The woman’s boss later installed locks for everyone and apologized to her while offering to replace the cost of the item. The co-worker was reprimanded but not let go due to her family situation.
The cameras showed that the co-worker and her daughter returned to the personal belongings area to rummage through the woman’s purse and check her ID to confront her. The woman believes the boss’s account of events to be accurate.
It’s concerning that the co-worker’s daughter went through the woman’s purse without permission, and the co-worker didn’t take responsibility for her daughter’s actions. However, the situation was resolved with the installation of locks and an apology from the boss.
The fact that the co-worker and her daughter returned to the personal belongings area to rummage through the woman’s purse and check her ID violates the woman’s privacy and is unprofessional. The woman handled the situation well by standing up for herself and clarifying that her belongings were off-limits.
Reddit Responds
The fact that the woman spreads gossip around the office is entirely inappropriate and unfair to the author. One Redditor comment – “Nta and your coworker is basically harassing you at this point by telling other people.”
It is understandable for someone to feel annoyed and violated if their co-worker’s daughter went through their items and found something inappropriate. Personal belongings are private and should not be touched without permission, regardless of where they are stored.
The co-worker should have taken responsibility for her daughter’s actions and apologized for intruding on the woman’s privacy. One Redditor commented, “This needs to be called out more. This is illegal. It’s in your personal belongings, not accessible during work hours, and no different than searching your car.”
It is not the woman’s fault that the co-worker’s daughter went through her purse, and she should not have been reprimanded for something out of her control. Going through someone else’s items without permission is an invasion of privacy.
It can cause feelings of discomfort and insecurity. It is essential to set boundaries and respect other people’s belongings, regardless of if they are an adult or a child. Most Redditors don’t think the woman went far enough.
She should have reported the woman for letting her daughter trespass on her property, “You should go to HR about this, as she is making it a hostile work environment. She allowed her child to go through your personal private items. I wonder whether there was anything else that may have gone missing ($$) that you didn’t notice at the time?” No one thinks the author is an a**hole.
Source: Reddit
