Architect reprimanded for making daughter’s birthday invitation on work laptop, so she refused to use personal phone for on-site job photos, forcing boss to buy her company Samsung and pay for entire second trip to the site: 'I doubled all the expenses'

Author image for Emma Saven
Emma Saven
Nov 24, 2025 4:00 AM EST

The whole point of work devices is so that we can keep our work and personal lives separate. But sometimes, desperate times call for desperate measures when you urgently need to create and send out your daughter's 6th birthday party invitations…So what's a mother to do if her only current access is to a work laptop? Well, we think most mothers would use it to do the same. Let's just say this mother's boss wasn't too pleased to see her home screen covered in unicorn-glittered bubble font alongside this month's new building evaluation. Because last time he checked, her job was to sketch skyscrapers, not win party planner of the year. But it's no surprise she likely finds her job of being a mother a lot more fulfilling! 

So after being strictly confronted for her 'personal use' of the laptop, next time she travelled for work, she ensured not to take any architectural photography on her personal cellphone. Leaving her boss with no reference images when she returned…Turns out, a few days later, she returned to a brand new Samsung phone and a whole new trip booked to take more project photographs…A win is a win! 

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  • ‘Flights, hotels, and double the expenses,’ all because they wouldn't let her use her company laptop for a ten-minute personal task…Turns out it cost the company a lot more than her 10 minutes of Canva would've…Sometimes life and work will mix, bosses won't always like it, yet it is impossible to avoid.

  • Architect and angry boss
    via gettyimages

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

  • A ten minute favor vs thousand euro bill

    Once, at a company where I worked as an architect, I used the company laptop's Photoshop to make my daughter's birthday invitation.
    via Few_Jaguar_9360
  • It took maybe ten minutes. My boss saw it in the recent files while we were reviewing a project together and told me the computer was for work only.
    via Few_Jaguar_9360
  • I just said "Ok", because... well, what else was I going to say. That same week I traveled to another city to survey a building.
    via Few_Jaguar_9360
  • I did everything with the tape measure and laser the company provided. When I got back, he asked if I had already downloaded the photos, because he wanted to see the inside of the building.
    via Few_Jaguar_9360
  • Woman smiling on her work computer
    via gettyimages

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

  • I told him I hadn't taken any photos, since my phone was personal. He was furious on the inside, but couldn't show it, because months earlier I had asked the company for a work phone and they had refused.
    via Few_Jaguar_9360
  • The next day, a brand new Samsung appeared on my desk. And off I went again to the same city, to take the photos, with the company paying for flights, hotel, and all the doubled expenses.
    via Few_Jaguar_9360
  • ITRabbit That's malicious compliance - well done!
    via ITRabbit
  • ColdFix Well played, but now you have to carry two phones!
    via ColdFix
  • riftwave77 Oversight on his part. It seems that like you, he thought to himself 'well, what else can I really say here'. $30/month is a \nothing\ expense to a business.
    via riftwave77
  • Workers shaking hands over building project
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Impossible-Ship5585 This good as taking the photos with your own phone is data security breach
    via Impossible-Ship5585
  • _AllfatherOdin_ Everyone should have a work phone if anything like this is needed, some people complain but who cares about carrying two phones, it's not like they take up a ton of space. Also random side note but where i work in IT so many of the employees use their work phone like a personal one and get so upset when they can't keep the number or device when they leave or get fired. Like buddy, the company owns the device and the line and all the contacts know that number, not our fault you de
    via _AllfatherOdin_
  • throwaway_faunsmary >I told him I hadn't taken any photos, since my phone was personal. Better would be to phrase it as "I didn't take any photos, because no camera was provided" Don't even mention your personal phone, it's not relevant. You don't need work to provide a phone. You need them to provide a camera. Very different cost propositions.
    via throwaway_faunsmary
  • neimad2k Just be aware sometimes depending on the industry such as (healthcare), it may be more convenient to have one phone but if investigations are required sometimes the phones in question can be seized for review. Doesn't matter about your boundaries about when people call, It can be a legal requirement. I'd always recommend a work phone.
    via neimad2k
  • TararaBoomDA Malicious AND petty! Well played, young padawan. Well played!
    via TararaBoomDA
  • Kirjavs Just keep your own phone as well. Having a professional phone is the first step to "why didn't you answer last Sunday?"
    via Kirjavs
  • Female architect
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Razorking Phone related. At my work WhatsApp is used for internal comunication. I don't want WhatsApp on my personal phone.
    via Razorking
  • I got already a comment from my manager wich I answered with "give me a company phone and I'll have WhatsApp". Damn, that discussion was done quickly.
    via Razorking
  • ratpride Well deserved! I imagined your boss would show up to the party after seeing the invitation Imao.
    via ratpride
  • MightyMatt9482 I feel like it should of been oh you kids birthday is coming up.. here is a extra 100. Get her somthing nice.
    via MightyMatt9482
  • tacticalpotatopeeler Just be sure to leave that Samsung on the desk when you go home for the day :)
    via tacticalpotatopeeler

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boss antiwork employee drama work coworkers colleague workplace employment
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