Office Lunch Thief Suffers Anaphylactic Shock and Ends up in Hospital: Who Is In the Wrong, the Thief or the Food Owner?

A Redditor posted in the “Am I the ***hole” subreddit to ask whether he was in the wrong for sending his coworker into an anaphylactic shock.

Redditor’s Lunch Keeps Disappearing at Work

So, the original poster works at what he describes as a standard day job but takes up more night hours at a friend’s Thai restaurant.

The OP describes himself as picky but fell in love with a peanut sauce the main chef prepares at the restaurant. So, he went ahead and learned the recipe.

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He would then prepare this peanut sauce once a week and carry it for his lunch at his day job.

He says that the dish smells and tastes nutty.

So, this guy’s lunches have been disappearing. It started slow when he would open his lunchbox only to find half of his food missing. He had been addressing the issue of lunch thieves in the office, but the situation didn’t change.

Then one day, he found the entire Tupperware containing his noodles with the peanut sauce gone! On this day, he was lucky to get a slice of pizza from his coworker and thought that was it for the day.

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He was wrong; it was just the beginning of chaos.

Face-Off with the Boss

The OP notes that there was a group of new coworkers; therefore, he suspected the food thief was among them because nobody used to steal food before.

And as the puzzle keeps unfolding, it turns out the food thief was the boss’s daughter.

So, a few days after the incident, the OP is confronted by the boss for apparently poisoning his noodles because his daughter was hospitalized after “borrowing” the noodles from him.

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It turns out the food thief is severely allergic to nuts and got severe Anaphylaxis after stealing OP’s food.

She got hospitalized, but that is not even the most surprising part. Shockingly, the boss wants the OP to take responsibility for the condition by footing the bills for “poisoning” his daughter.

Deserved or Uncalled for Backlash?

So, the OP has been receiving so much hate from the boss and other older coworkers. From the cold shoulder he has been receiving, he has strongly considered quitting his job altogether.

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The good thing is that his restaurant-owner friend has offered him a full-time job.

Should he quit, or should he fight for his place in the company?

What Redditors Had To Say

One of the comments said: “NTA -Go to HR immediately and make them aware of what is going on. You did nothing wrong, and your boss’s behavior is 100% inappropriate.”

I cannot agree with this comment enough. It wouldn’t make sense for the OP to try and fight the masses on his own; it may make everything worse. He should let HR fight such battles.

Another Redditor reminded the OP to immediately go to HR and record the events of the entire ordeal. He even advised him to contact an employment attorney. This commenter also reminded him that fighting established coworkers and the boss can be a losing game. The OP was told that HR might help him, but he should remember that HR works for the company, not him.

I also agree with the Redditor who said,” As someone with medical dietary requirements, I don’t understand her. I mean, I don’t understand stealing food in the first place, but how is she willingly eating food without knowing what is in it, yet she knows she is Anaphylactic?” 

Another legendary comment was, “You need to tell HR now, don’t wait for her to get back and get her spin on it. A coworker has been stealing from you. A coworker with a KNOWN food allergy has been stealing food! She is dumb as rocks! And the fact that the dad is blaming you and not her shows why she is so dumb! Never has to take responsibility for her actions! A manager is harassing you because his daughter stole food and paid the price. HR has a lot to do. Definitely NTA.”

I am sure the now-known food thief would want to take brutal revenge when she returns. The OP should take action immediately before things take a worse turn.

Redditors unanimously agreed that the OP was the victim and NTA.

What’s your take on this? Who is the real victim in this case? Was the boss fair asking the OP to foot the hospital bills and take responsibility? Is moving to HR a good move, considering the established employees of the company are against the OP? 

 

Read the original post here.

This article was produced and syndicated by A Dime Saved.

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