They caught their co-worker stealing their lunch after months of missing meals — the excuse she gave left them speechless
Workplace frustrations can build up when small problems keep occurring without a clear solution. One office employee experienced exactly that after repeatedly finding their lunch missing from the shared break room refrigerator. The story was later shared by the Reddit user who goes by u/GlobeCoder in a post published on May 18, 2026. What initially seemed like a minor annoyance continued for months, leaving them searching for answers. After several unsuccessful attempts to put an end to the dilemma, they found a way to catch the culprit and teach her a lesson.
My coworker has been stealing my lunch for THREE MONTHS and when I finally caught her she told me I should "take it as a compliment"
by u/GlobeCoder in offmychest
The worker explained that the missing lunches started as an occasional annoyance but soon became a regular issue. At first, they assumed someone had made an honest mistake. However, even after labeling the containers, the meals would still be picked up. Wanting proof, they arrived early one morning and discreetly set up a phone near the break room. The footage finally revealed the culprit. After reviewing the recording, they confronted the colleague. She simply smiled and replied that the person was a “really good cook,” and that they should “take it as a compliment.” The unexpected response left them stunned and frustrated.
Rather than arguing further, they took the evidence directly to human resources. They kept records of each incident in a notes app over several months. Because the employee followed a specific dietary restriction, every meal required careful planning and preparation at home each week, making the repeated losses especially upsetting. HR reviewed the information and was reportedly surprised by what they found. During the investigation, it emerged that the same coworker had previously received a warning for a similar issue two years earlier. The company responded by giving her a final warning.
Human resources also asked them to calculate the estimated cost of the missing meals. After adding everything together, the amount came to $340, which the colleague was required to reimburse. Although the matter was officially resolved, the workplace dynamic changed afterward. The poster noted that the coworker still sat beside them but no longer spoke to them. Far from being bothered by the silence, they viewed it as an added victory.
One of the most effective ways to deal with an annoying coworker is to address the behavior directly instead of letting the frustration build. In another incident, a woman grew tired of a colleague who regularly used the word “we” in emails to make it seem as though tasks were shared, even when the responsibility was entirely hers. On one occasion, the person asked, “Can we get it reinstated?” referring to a mistake she had made herself. Rather than taking on the work, the employee replied, “You should be able to. You may have to call underwriting,” making it clear who was responsible. There was no way the tasks could be dumped on others.
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