Office Politics

Nobody likes office politics.  It usually involves whispering, dishonesty, and gossip.  There can be a humorous side though - even if you have to search for it.

Our office has a coffee machine and being the resourceful people that we are, a large stash of coffee mugs to go with it.  Similar to general seating at church, no coffee mugs are reserved to any one person, yet everyone has "their" coffee mug.  An unspoken system has developed therefore for coffee mug distribution.

Now I am not a coffee drinker and therefore fall very low on the coffee mug selection list.  When I want the occasional hot chocolate I have to choose from the leftover mugs - the rejects.  These are usually white and pink mugs with kittens on them.  I was fortunate however to discover a reject mug that I fell in love with - it's brown and squarish, but of a good size and simple.  It says Klein Tools on it.  As a former electrician, this was perfect.

Luckily for me, this mug had never been claimed by a coffee drinker and was always available for my occasional hot chocolate.  Until the newbie arrived...

There is nothing wrong with a newbie.  In fact, we could use some more of them with the workload we've got.  The newbie isn't even a coffee drinker so I was not concerned about any mug situation.  That is, until I saw his new pencil holder that he had chosen for his desk- none other than my brown Klein Tools reject coffee mug.

Needless to say, I was devastated.  How am I to explain to this nice newbie that he has taken my reject mug?  That unbeknownst to him, he has left me to sip from valentines day kitten porcelain?  Should I just take the mug and replace it with another one and hope he doesn't notice?  No, that would be awkward when he notices me drinking hot chocolate from it later in the day.  Should I approach him and try to explain myself?  No, then it might turn into real office politics and not just the humorous kind.  The only solution then is to find another reject mug and accept that my Klein Tools mug has left the mug distribution system.  It probably has a better life now that it is being loved and used every day and not just on the days of my hot chocolate whims.