Employee chastised for picking up new office supplies during lunch, maliciously complies with boss's new bogus policy: 'No work-related errands at lunchtime? OK.'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Aug 19, 2025 4:00 PM EDT

We're used to coming across stories in which employees get in trouble for doing the bare minimum at work. Of course, it's worth defining what we mean by "bare minimum" because for many employees, that actually manifests itself in doing exactly what your written expectations are. This is similar to the common misconception about the phenomenon that is quiet quitting, which we all know is really just acting your wage. However, in this instance, we're dealing with someone who actually got in trouble for going above and beyond so that everyone in the office had the resources and materials they needed to succeed in their jobs. If that seems like a pretty ridiculous reason to reprimand an employee, it's because it is.

This employee became the go-to person for replenishing office supplies even though it was entirely outside of her job description. She never let her core responsibilities suffer by taking on this extra project. She simply wanted to ensure that the office was never running out of basic supplies like paper and printer ink. When she took it upon herself to take a trip to get more paper during her lunch hour, she returned to find out that her manager had suddenly taken issue with how long she was gone.

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    "No work-related errands at lunchtime? OK."

    A woman wearing glasses and a white button-down business shirt smiles with her arms folded in an office while employees work behind her.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • As we mentioned, this is not the first time the author has taken time out of her busy schedule to make everyone else in the office happy. Why should she be punished if there was no one else at the company willing to take on these basic tasks? Sure, sometimes that means she'll be gone for a little longer than usual. Still, if she's not needed, what's the issue? Our guess is that this manager just felt like flexing their authority.

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    From time to time we have immediate needs for random items in the office, so when that happens, I make a quick run to get the needed item while I'm already out at lunch. This is NOT in my job description, nor anyone else's. Someone at corporate orders regular office
    via Isabeau56
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    supplies, and that covers most of our daily needs. I've been working here for years and just took it upon myself to fill special orders, since I'm the only person in our office location with a company credit card. Just trying to be helpful, right?
    via Isabeau56
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    I had to special order some paper, which required me to go to the office supply store. It took about an hour. Like I said, I'd been doing this for years with no issue and my efforts had always been appreciated, so I didn't think anything of it.
    via Isabeau56
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    When I returned to the office, I was called in to explain my "long lunch" to my boss. I told him where I was and showed him the receipt for the paper,
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    but to my surprise, he was still upset. He said "All office supplies have to be ordered through corporate." He also said I could no longer use the
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    company card without his OK. Cue MC. When my coworkers sent me requests, I just told them they needed to contact corporate. Because many of these requests were specific to our department, I was the only one
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    who really knew what was needed, so of course the orders got s up, and often took a week or more when they were needed the same or next day.
    via Isabeau56
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    A woman wearing glasses and a white button-down business shirt smiles holding an electronic device in an office with glass doors behind her.
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    People making twice my salary have been with supply orders and certain projects
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    have been put on hold until special order materials arrive. Sometimes the items we've gotten are not what we requested, so that caused even
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    more delays. My coworkers are getting frustrated and angry. I could easily resolve these issues, but I've been told to stand down, so that's what I'm
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    doing. I'm anticipating my boss will want to undo his new rule as the outcry gets louder, but it's really not my job. I was just doing it as a favor. I'm sure the experts at corporate can figure it out. :-)
    via Isabeau56
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    RemarkableMacadamia Yah, I think if they come back and ask you to return to the previous favors, tell them you no longer feel comfortable carrying and being responsible for the
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    corporate card, and that you've realized that neglecting your lunchtime really had an impact on your health that you hadn't realized before now that you've been able to take them fully. Also, there's a liability issue if
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    you blend lunch with work errands using your personal vehicle. What if something happens while you are out and there's some sort of accident? No, no, it's better to keep the lines very clear.
    via Isabeau56
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    In other words, you are no longer available to do errands on your personal time using your personal vehicle or to accept the financial and liability risks. associated with said activity.
    via Isabeau56

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