Salad with a Spoon

The mini-rebellion - a mild form of office deception intended to undermine authority, and make you feel better about some little irritation. The trouble is that the mini-rebellion is a little irritation all its own. Take for example the Fork Fiasco in my office. We use metal utensils in my office because we are graced with a kitchenette, complete with a dishwasher. The trouble though, is that in the last few months, every fork has somehow walked out the door. Now, this seems a little ridiculous, but think about trying to eat a salad with a spoon... It is a small enough problem not to cause a real stir in the office, but annoying enough to irk a few people: mini-rebellion.

Whomever decided to steal all of the forks did so slowly and stealthily so as to avoid exposure. Part of me wonders if it is a conspiracy aimed at trying to get us all to use our hands to eat, or if the offender is merely trying to prove a point (we have a little issue with said dishwasher). Nevertheless, we are fork-free at the moment, scrounging for plastic utensils and even using chopsticks at times.

I am not condoning this behavior, but I have known the mini-rebellion to be employed in times of distress. When the day-to-day irritations are addressed continually without resolution, often we are left with no where to turn. The issues are so small that they should not go to management or HR, but they are consistent enough to disrupt our workflow. With no recourse, often the tendency is to rebel. No one wants to jeopardize his or her position or reputation, so the rebellions are little and usually equally annoying to the original conflict.

I have to say that rebelling in any way is probably a bad idea, but a little workplace deception makes the day spicy. Just please, take a second to think of the consequences before you devise your plan - we're eating with spoons and chopsticks for pete's sake!

Leave a comment and share a mini-rebellion from your past - I'd love to hear your fork stories!

| Photo credit: Zazzle |