DEAR ABBY: I have worked at the same small company for 25 years. All but one of the employees have been with this company for more than 20 years. "Grace" has been here only three years. She is pleasant, funny, trustworthy and easy to be around. However, she never brings her own lunch.
If something is in the refrigerator, she feels it is fair game to eat it. If I bring something she wants, she will come up to me, take the bag and ask, "What's for lunch this week?"
I keep snacks in my desk, and she knows which drawer I keep them in. When I reach for something to hold me over, sometimes the drawer will be empty and the bag will be on her desk or in her trash. It infuriates me.
I have made subtle comments on how this upsets me. I have progressed to no longer bringing my lunch. I know she can afford her own lunch. She earns more than I do and doesn't have children or a mortgage. How do I tell this woman to keep her hands off my lunch and snacks? -- HUNGRY IN HOUSTON
DEAR HUNGRY: How "trustworthy" can Grace be if she steals your food? When her outrageous behavior and petty thievery started, you shouldn't have hinted -- you should have told the woman to keep her hands off your lunch and out of your desk drawers. If she didn't respect your wishes, you should have reported it to your supervisor or your boss.
It's still not too late to do that, and I suggest that if there isn't a policy in your company handbook pertaining to this kind of pilfering that one be included.