Should he stay or should he go now? Weirdness update p2

[Otterpop]

Good for you Sweettooth, keep it professional.  However, his reputation within the company is damaged from now on simply because everyone knows he coveted your items.

(Also, I doubt his nature will change.  To allegedly steal so quickly upon becoming employed, then have no consequences, means there will probably be more incidents - secure your stuff).

[Twik]

Apparently, with regards to stickers or other mods to hard hats, OSHA is unenthusiastic, shall we say. They don't specifically ban them, but any modification must be sure not to impair the effectiveness of the hat, and that is hard to prove. http://www.advancedsafetyhealth.com/newsletter-blog/2012/07/02/does-osha-allow-stickers-on-hard-hats/

[TootsNYC]

I am fascinated! How does a sticker impair the effectiveness of a hard hat?

[greencat]

I am fascinated! How does a sticker impair the effectiveness of a hard hat?

I think the adhesive could damage the plastic coating, or possibly the sticker itself could keep the outer shell from spreading damage across that area like it's supposed to.  Maybe.  Possibly.

[TootsNYC]

I am fascinated! How does a sticker impair the effectiveness of a hard hat?

I think the adhesive could damage the plastic coating, or possibly the sticker itself could keep the outer shell from spreading damage across that area like it's supposed to.  Maybe.  Possibly.

I'd sure as heck hope that my hard hat was tougher than the average sticker, wouldn't you?

(love your "Maybe." "Possibly." LOL!)

[zyrs]

Slightly off topic, but there are all sorts of different colored hard hats now - here is a purple one.

[zainabzks]

He  may have taken the hats; he may not have. For all you know, the hats may have been moved by someone else maliciously or non maliciously. They could have accidentally been dropped in the janitor's trash.
I know I was sure someone took my _____ . A year later, I found it in a drawer. These types of things happened to me all the time.

[ydpubs]

I think the main concern about decals or writing on a hard hat are about possible chemical reactions between the adhesive in a sticker or chemicals in a marker compromising the integrity of the hat.

[siamesecat2965]

So Hard Hat Swiper hadn't talked to me since I asked him last Thursday morning if he'd seen my hats. But this morning one of my coworkers walked into my office wearing her own pink hard hat as a joke, and he followed her into my office and said to me, "Is that your hat?!" I said no, it's hers. He said, "Did yours ever show up?"

I came within a hair of saying, Well, not unless you brought it back, but instead said, "No, and I'm sure they never will, but HR has ordered me a new one." And he said to me, "Oh! Who do I ask to get one? Because you know I told you my wife wants one of those."

 

I said, "Yeah, you mentioned that. Talk to HR." And then turned to my coworker and started talking about the work-related question she had for me, and he wandered out.

This guy, y'all! This guy has a lot of chutzpah. I'm loving all your comments and appreciating your feedback. Unfortunately locking my door won't do much good since our keys all fit each others' doors, and I don't want to mess with a camera for now. If something else goes missing I'll ask HR to change the locks, but I honestly don't think he'll steal anything else--he already got what he wanted! I did take home the one irreplaceable item in my office that I would be upset to lose, and I won't be leaving my (pink!) gym bag here overnight anymore.

My coworkers don't have much personal stuff in their offices either, and I know a couple of them took home some valuables they didn't want to lose. The HR lady said she might send out a warning email but it's not happened yet.

Hmmm...sounds like someone has a guilty conscience, and while aware of the missing hat, was trying to make it seem like he was completely innocent, by asking how toget one. 

Even if yours hadn't gone missing, its still a bit snowflakey to think that your company would provide him with a pink hard hat for his WIFE. who doens't even work there.

I don't see that as all that weird--several places I've worked have offered all kinds of logo'd merchandise to employees, which they could buy for themselves or anyone else. I agree that it would be snowflakey to expect to be given one, and certainly to steal one, but if a hypothetical guy wanted to go through the proper channels and buy one, who cares if it's for his wife, kwim?

I didn't see it as him asking to have one ordered for his wife, and him paying for it. I saw it as something the employer provides to the employees, and he was asking for one for his wife, who doens't work there. So wouldn't be entitled to one.

[BarensMom]

I just asked the man with a working hard hat.  DH says that stickers are not approved by his management because it conceals cracks and damage. 

[TootsNYC]

I just asked the man with a working hard hat.  DH says that stickers are not approved by his management because it conceals cracks and damage.

That makes sense! Thanks.

[Visiting Crazy Town]

 Ok this has been bugging me and I thought I would ask.  WHen the guy first asked about the hats why didn't the OP tell him that  they  could be ordered.

[LifeOnPluto]

I'd actually help Co-worker order a pink hard hat, just to see his reaction. You know, walk into his office with the application form, and say "Hey, let's fill in this request together! We'll get your wife a pink hat!"

I bet that either:

1. He hems and haws and tries to squirm out of ordering the hat (because he already has yours!) or

2. He orders the hat, then soon afterwards your hat mysteriously turns up.

[Raintree]

I'm inclined to  think his over-explaining reveals guilt. The way he suggested the cleaning staff, and "at my last place stuff went missing all the time." And his eagerness to show concern over whether your pink hat showed up or not, a little while later.

It's very bizarre that he would steal a pink hat.

[cicero]

I don't have a real update--except for the weird conversation we had Wednesday, he'd not spoken to me at all since I'd asked him about the hats, but yesterday he asked me a couple of work-related questions and I answered them politely. So I guess that's how it's going to be, we're just going to pretend this never happened.

Thank you all for your responses; I did think about asking for the locks to be changed, but it's an expense we don't need and I really do think he already took what he wanted and won't be stealing again. But if he does, you can bet I'll post about it here! 

i think you would be smart to be on alert. either he took it, or someone else took, but you have a thief in your office (whether it's a staffer, a maintance/cleaner, messenger etc). Whoever took your hat is a thief. and a thief is - in my books - a thief, whether they took a pink hat to give to their wife or whether they took your diet coke from the communal fridge or whether they took a few dollars from your purse.

Although all the circumstantial evidence points to him, it IS possible that it isn't this guy. but nevertheless, a thief lurks among you...