Boss micromanages employee's office supply use, keeps track of every paper clip: 'Grown adults feel like children asking permission to use stationery'

Office supplies are meant to be used, right?

Nobody likes to be micromanaged. We're all adults who have our own adult things to worry about and care about, and we don't need somebody constantly breathing down our neck to make sure things are done. We had enough of that in childhood and at school, and we hope we have proven ourselves trustworthy enough to be independent and in adulthood. Especially at work. If they hired you, presumably, they have some level of faith that you will be able to execute what they need you to execute. You're there for a reason, and you're helping them as much as they're helping you. But that doesn't stop some managers from treating their employees like children. Some people just have a hard time letting go of control, and they inflict that on everyone else. The question is, what do you do when you're facing this kind of treatment?

Do you just swallow it and move on, knowing that you're in the right? Or do you stand up for yourself and demand to be treated differently? This can be a delicate line to walk, especially at work, because you don't wanna ruffle any feathers unnecessarily. But you also have a right to demand that people treat you differently. You deserve respect. It hurts, especially hard when it's over trivial stuff, which it often is. You don't want to feel like every move. You make it be judged. Like, if you need a paper clip for a work report, you don't wanna worry that anybody's looking at you differently.

via Unsplash+ (A F)

_{Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}
But that's what happened in the story, where an employee described a workplace that seemed pretty difficult to tolerate. They were constantly being checked in on about what supplies they were using, even though they were using them for their intended purpose. Isn't the point of office supplies to be able to use them when you need them? Or else why would we buy pens and paper and paper clips? Scroll on to read all the details of the story, and see what other workers had to say about this all too common practice.
Being micromanaged over basic office supplies is exhausting.

via u/Key-Preference-3196
via u/Key-Preference-3196
via u/Key-Preference-3196
via u/Key-Preference-3196
via u/Key-Preference-3196
Commenters came in with stories of their own.

via u/KellyAnn3106
via Unsplash+ (Ahmed)

_{Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}
via u/Dull-Motor8021
via u/Frankly_Ridiculous
via u/Good-Fondant-2704
via u/jimyjami
via u/AnswerOver9028
via u/teresajs
via u/UpstairsAd194
via u/tapandown
via u/chickenderp