Is my co-worker a douche for trying to "help" me

[Warik]

Cliff's below.

It's ~7:15pm and I'm getting ready to leave. There are a handful of people left in the office, all of whom I have absolutely 0 reason to believe would steal from me. My laptop is shutting down, my gym bag is on my desk, my headphones and iPod are next to the laptop case.

Whoopsy. I forgot to do something. I get up from my desk and go to the other side of the office to perform a quick task that I can't do on my laptop. I come back 5 minutes later and start packing up.

My co-worker calls my cell.

him: "Hey, did you notice you left your iPod on your desk?"
me: "Yeah, along with the rest of my stuff. ha ha very funny. Where'd you hide it?"
him: "nah man I didn't hide it I took it."
me: "... uh, why?"
him: "So no one would steal it. You gotta be careful. I'll give it to you tomorrow."

I could have informed him of the numerous other possible actions he could have taken, such as a) calling my cell 5 minutes ago since I was clearly still in the office, b) coming to get me since I was clearly still in the office, c) putting my iPod in either of my desk drawers, or d) putting my iPod in my laptop case. Instead I just say "thanks man. I appreciate it. cya tomorrow" and hangup. The drive home sucks with only radio commercials and crappy pop music to accompany me. The drive to work tomorrow will suck equally.

Cliff's: Coworker takes my iPod home with him to keep it safe instead of putting it away in my desk or bag. Is he a douche for doing it or am I a douche for not appreciating the gesture?

[PartyPooperGuy]

He's not a douche so much as a well-meaning moron. I could totally see my not-so-bright sister doing something like this, and pissing off someone smarter. I don't think you're a douche for getting pissed off -- as long as you handled it as you did, which was to not indicate to him that you were pissed off.

[guids]

Ya, initially, for some reason Id feel pissed, like WTF dont touch my stuff, but Id feel bad for feeling this way. I think he was trying to help, though, honestly.

[Alobar]

If that was really his motive, hes a moron.

Id be nice, but id still explain to him what a better course of action would have been when he gives it back. "thanks man, next time just call me tho, I was still in the office".

I think he might have had another reason tho, just dunno what it is.

[TomCollins]

I had a similar situation at work, but not as much douchebaggery.

I was an intern and had a company issued laptop. A bunch of interns were in a conference room working on a project. Our boss for the project always told us to be extra careful, never leaving laptops out, that there were thefts (people come off the street and steal them posing as employees). I am about to go to lunch, and don't feel like locking up my laptop. I ask some of the other interns if they are going to be in the room for the next hour. A few say they will. I ask one to keep an eye on my laptop.

I come back from lunch, and its gone. I start freaking out. I ask the intern I asked what happened to it, and he tells me that the boss took it. I go track him down, ask for it back, he tells me to keep it locked, and gives it back. I told him I had someone keeping an eye on it, but he had to teach a lesson.

Was kind of annoying, but it is his responsibility in some sense, since it was the company's laptop. A douche touching your personal property to teach you a lesson is simply a douche.


Edit:

On second thought- he took it so no one else would steal it, not to teach you a lesson. Looks like he wasn't so bad.

[cbloom]

He's either f*cking with you or he's a total moron. Do something similar back to him.

[Nick B.]

He wants to steal your songs?

[lapoker17]

i voted other:

not everything in life needs to be an "issue".

[Hopey]

Is it at all possible that he may have had some thought about stealing it, but then decided against it for some reason? Perhaps his conscience was bothering him, or maybe he was worried that someone saw him go into your office?

I realize that you say you don't believe anyone in your office would steal from you...but people *generally* don't expect their co-workers and friends to steal from them...and yet they sometimes do anyway.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]
Is it at all possible that he may have had some thought about stealing it, but then decided against it for some reason? Perhaps his conscience was bothering him, or maybe he was worried that someone saw him go into your office?

[/ QUOTE ]

this makes more sense than his claimed course of action