Dead Rodent

LindaS

I have an employee who came into work this AM and discovered a dead mouse in a 1/2 filled soda bottle. He states that he "knows" the soda container was closed when he left work on Thursday and feels someone placed it in there on purpose.

He came to me to file a complaint and my initial reaction was to make note of it but that there really isn't anything I can do. His reponse was that he was "taking it to the next level" as he felt this was harassment. He then stated that this isn't the first time something like this has happened to him....

He states that several weeks ago he came to work to find an empty sardine can in his work area. He states he doesn't eat sardines. This is the only other "incident" and he informed his supervisor of the issue.

His supervisor verified that the EE did mention it but that the EE's workstation is such a mess, it is possible someone just left it there, without any intent of harassment.

I am having the EE come to see me this PM to have him make a formal statement but I'm really not sure what I can do. The EE wants me to have the soda bottle tested for fingerprints but even that won't do much without something to match it with.

Any ideas?

TN HR

It may be premaure of me to say this, but perhaps the way to deal with this ee is to sit down with him and explain that while certainly inappropriate, this stuff does not rise to the level of harrasment. Explain to him that you will communicate acceptable conduct in the workplace.

Now, get to it. There should be a clean desk/work area policy somewhere that prohibits half-empty bottles/cans/packs of anything edible being left laying around. If not, create one, communicate it, gain buy-in then enforce it and discipline those who break it.

Reduce you actions to writing. I think, and this is only a gut feeling, that the ee in question simply wants attention. If he chooses to file a complaint "at the next level" then let him have at it. Don't be surprised if he doesn't.

Good luck.

Gene

dchr9203

Aside from allowing the employee to vent, I see nothing from your post that warrents any formal action on the part of the employer. It is possible he left the lid off the bottle, or at best not tightly screwed on, and the mouse got in and drowned. Maybe someone borrowed his work space and had lunch and simply left a mess. I agree with Gene, sounds like this employee wants a little attention. Let him vent, be honest with him, then get back to work. If its not purely coincidental, could be some practical joking going on, and in that case, it might be time to reaffirm the company's position on conduct. But other than that, I wouldn't waste much energy on this one.

LindaS

Thanks for the feedback but, after talking with the EE, I have the local PD coming in as he wants to have the bottle fingerprinted to assist him in determining who did this. I stressed the "housekeeping" issue and whether or not it did any good, we'll see but the bottom line is the EE feels he is being "harassed" and is being subject to an "unhealthy work environment and wants to file charges against whoever did it. I tried to explain that even IF they were to be able to get some fingerprint off the bottle that we cannot make an EE be fingerprinted he insisted.

I'll let you know how this shakes out.

Thanks.

Don D

Unless this is Mayberry, I'll be mighty surprised if the local constabulary thinks this dead mouse rises to the level of a criminal matter. I've never heard of a PD dusting for prints in response to a prank, even it were a prank. I would have told the man to get back to work and not leave half opened bottles and sardine cans lying around the work area. (are we sure his date was not hiding behind the filing cabinet?)

LindaS

Update...

The local PD came last night and spoke with the individual. The officer informed us that it is a felony to tamper with food products and asked the EE what he wanted to do.

Long story short - the EE wants the bottle tested for fingerprints and if they are able to get any the EE will go to the station to have his prints taken and if there are any besides his, the EE wants to follow through with interviewing possible suspects.

As the officer and I were walking away he informed me that he was going to speak with one of the investigators because he feels that the fact that the EE left the bottle over the long weekend that it may be considered "abandoned property". If so, the officer won't be able to do much as "technically" the EE wasn't going to drink from the bottle.

So, in essence, the saga continues...

Rockie

The fact that the police have been called in to investigate may be enough of an impetus to squash this kind of behavior in the future. Most people who have targeted people to play pranks on will stop this type of behavior when they find that they might, themselves, get in trouble over it.

National Guard

Please let us know if the ee opens his desk drawer and discovers a plate of jello with a stapler right in the middle!x}>

HRCalico

Hahaha - YEAH! I forgot they were switching The Office to Tuesday, so I missed this week's. Was there anything as good as the stapler in jello? Oh, and did anybody notice if the stapler was a Swingline?

pork1

LINDAS: This story leads me to ask, I drank from a coke bottle yesterday and it was half full when I left; this morning I notice it was gone, thought maybe the cleaning crew threw it away. Now, I find out someone has taken my drink bottle to this other employee's desk and put a dead mouse in it; WHERE IS MY PROTECTION? DID THIS EE TAKE MY BOTTLE PUT A DEAD MOUSE IN IT, AND THEN COMPLAIN?

I am really surprised that the PD will be able to do anything with my bottle, I have no idea as to how my drink bottle got on his desk WITH A DEAD MOUSE IN IT. Running in circles gets nowhere soon!

I feel like this ee of yours is kinda like the "chill finger", find the owner of the missing finger and one might be able to investigate. The "chill finger" and this "dead mouse" are the keys to the resolution of company time spent and not the bottle! THE BOTTLE CAN NOT BE IDENTIFIED AS TO IT BEING THE BOTTLE LEFT THERE OVER NIGHT! EVEN HIS FINGERPRINTS ON THE BOTTLE ONLY LEADS TO THIS EE.

I believe you need to close this issue and move on to more HR important issues. The EE needs to pursue his dreams of harassment on his own time.

PORK

TN HR

Today marks a monumental day in the history of the forum. Pork is on the same sheet of music as I. Why this was ever allowed to escalate to three-ring-circus level I will never know. I wish I had this sort of time on my hands to have cutesy CSI meetings with PD's and maybe even get into a little detective work. I would have sent the ee packing in 5 seconds. Want to file a police report? Sure, after work you can go to the station.....

AJ SPHR

I agree with TN HR. I can't believe this situation is being given this amount of attention! Fingerprints? Unbelieveable! How would you prove if someone else who touched it wasn't just moving it?? And the other item was an empty sardine can?? That's harassment?? It's smelly, for sure, but harassment?

E Wart

I have a simple suggestion,,,,
Make it a new company policy that no food or drink can be at the employees' workstations. This way there are no open/unopened pop cans or no sardine cans. If they are found, then can discipline on the fact that they have broken company policy.
Also, by chance, do you have cameras that might could spot the person? If not, why not put up "fake" cameras and this might stop some jokes and may make the complaining employee happy, even though he doesn't know they are "fake".

E Wart

LindaS

For those of you that feel this situation was allowed to get out of control, I firmly DISagree.

This EE was adamant that he did not leave the bottle unopened and he further stated that he had two other incidents of dirty/used food items being left at his workstation. While I truly believe these are nothing more than pranks, I believe that I had a responsibility to follow through on the complaint.

I guess I was looking at making sure I did everything proper at the time just in case this problem continues or escalates. If these things continue happening how would you, as the HR person, feel in knowing that you basically ignored the EE's first complaint?

You can NEVER predict the future and I truly believe it is better to CYA now, when you have the opportunity, than to have to explain down the road WHY you chose to ignore the problem in it's infancy.

AJ SPHR

I agree that it sounds right to address the complaint, but I wouldn't have gone so far as to call in the police department. Is the employee's work area a shared desk/bench? If not, then have the manager meet with all employees and firmly remind them that items should be cleaned up. If it's a well travelled work area, I imagine it would be difficult to know who the culprit is short of installing a security camera.

Bottom line is that I would leave it up to the manager to deal with - not H.R. I'm not in charge of building services or the cleaning staff.

The problem is that you know the people and environment so it has a different meaning for you. However, when I read your note, it just sounds like someone who I just want to tell to grow up and just throw the trash away if it's left in your work area. I don't intend this response to be harsh, so please don't take it that way. I just disagree with the heavy-handed approach you elected to take. But again, you know the people and situation ...