In a story that quickly caught attention on Reddit’s Indian Workplace community, one employee’s innocent mistake has left the internet debating where convenience ends and theft begins.
The user, posting anonymously, shared how they may have unintentionally walked the thin line between an office perk and property misappropriation. When they joined their company, they were provided standard equipment for work-from-home use—a laptop, a USB dongle, and a 4G modem. Later, during the remote work period, they also picked up what they believed to be a complimentary coffee machine along with 12 boxes of coffee from the office breakroom.
The situation took an unexpected turn when the employee recently submitted their resignation. As part of the exit formalities, they were issued an inventory return checklist by the company's asset management team. The checklist included all standard items, but the coffee machine was noticeably absent. The user admitted that while they originally assumed the machine was theirs to use only during WFH, they were surprised no one asked for it back. "I thought it was free to keep only for the duration of WFH but they did not even ask about it,” the employee wrote in the post.
When questioned further in the comments, the original poster clarified the circumstances under which they took the machine. There were three coffee machines in the office breakroom, but one had a sign taped to it that simply read, "FREE." Taking it as a cue, they chose that particular one, making sure to wait until coworkers had left to avoid any confrontation or confusion.
Interestingly, the user also noted that their manager was present in a nearby meeting room and could clearly see them from a window as they carted away the machine. “He didn’t say anything,” the user remarked, speculating that perhaps the manager simply forgot about it later.
Redditors were quick to react. One commenter cautioned, “Unless something is explicitly given to you, it’s not yours to take. ‘Free’ probably meant the coffee, not the machine.” The commenter further warned that even the manager could have faced consequences had anyone raised a complaint. “People have been fired for less. Don’t even joke about this at work.”
Others took a more humorous angle. One user quipped, “OP casually stole the coffee machine from the cafeteria,” capturing the absurdity of the moment with dark office humor.
Though no formal action appears to have been taken, the story stands as a cautionary tale: even the smallest misunderstandings can brew trouble.
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The situation took an unexpected turn when the employee recently submitted their resignation. As part of the exit formalities, they were issued an inventory return checklist by the company's asset management team. The checklist included all standard items, but the coffee machine was noticeably absent. The user admitted that while they originally assumed the machine was theirs to use only during WFH, they were surprised no one asked for it back. "I thought it was free to keep only for the duration of WFH but they did not even ask about it,” the employee wrote in the post.
When questioned further in the comments, the original poster clarified the circumstances under which they took the machine. There were three coffee machines in the office breakroom, but one had a sign taped to it that simply read, "FREE." Taking it as a cue, they chose that particular one, making sure to wait until coworkers had left to avoid any confrontation or confusion.
Interestingly, the user also noted that their manager was present in a nearby meeting room and could clearly see them from a window as they carted away the machine. “He didn’t say anything,” the user remarked, speculating that perhaps the manager simply forgot about it later.
Redditors were quick to react. One commenter cautioned, “Unless something is explicitly given to you, it’s not yours to take. ‘Free’ probably meant the coffee, not the machine.” The commenter further warned that even the manager could have faced consequences had anyone raised a complaint. “People have been fired for less. Don’t even joke about this at work.”
Others took a more humorous angle. One user quipped, “OP casually stole the coffee machine from the cafeteria,” capturing the absurdity of the moment with dark office humor.
Though no formal action appears to have been taken, the story stands as a cautionary tale: even the smallest misunderstandings can brew trouble.
