Last time, Judge Charlotte found a middle ground with Jim and Hannah’s shared finances in a civil partnership.
Previously, the Judge came down in favour of a husband who wanted to keep his precious car.
The second case brought before the Judge focused on another marital dispute, as she was asked to weigh in on whether a wife should be forced to stick to her own rule on banning technology from the bedroom.
Then the Judge considered the case of a husband who kept planning weekend activities on his wife’s behalf.
This week’s case is about sharing the office crockery. To each his or her own mug, or must we get all communal with cups?
Jonathon is encountering issues in his shared office kitchen due to the poor quality of mugs provided by management. He’s decided to pick a quarrel with his co-workers, who keep nabbing his prized Marmite-shaped mug. Is it time the office banned the use of other people’s private mugs? Read Jonathon’s below or, If you wish, skip straight to Charlotte’s ruling below.
There is a very simple solution. But before I get into that, let’s get creative on your issue. After all, you were rather creative in sending me your case. You took the time there, didn’t you? You used your bosses time, the hours in which you are supposed to feed the corporate overlord, to get clever with text on a personal matter.
So let me take my time. Yup, my work time. You know, the time during which I work so that I do not cheat any overlord out of their investment in me, to give you a few possibilities.
- Volunteer to organise your annual staff day. As a fun (very relative word in this case) activity you’ll do a ceramics workshop, and everyone will create their own office mug. Their pride in having created a usable object will cause them to actually want to use their own handcrafted piece of clay in the office. Show off their brilliance, you know (and maybe even use it to do some light ‘Ghost’ flirting on the side).
- Kindly ask your overlords to consider investing in personalised mugs instead of sponges. In the long run it is the cheaper option. Mugs have a longer life span than sponges – well, than clean, non-inherited sponges anyway. Everyone will feel appreciated by the overlords with their personalised mug. Plus, if desks are no longer personally assigned, a mug with a name on it might make up, even if just a teeny-weeny bit, for the new and impersonal way of working. ‘My name mug is where my desk is’. That kind of thing.
But as I already said, there is an obvious solution to your problem. Two even.
1. Okay. This is going to hurt… break it. Break your Marmite mother-of-all-mugs. You won’t be able to use it then, obviously. That’s the hurting part. But no one else will be able to use it either, something that you will enjoy. You just have to figure out whether the joy of your colleagues going bonkers looking for your mug is greater than the pain of you having to bid your mug adieu.
2. There is an alternative, but you’ll have to be prepared to look like a bit of an idiot: attach a piece of string or something like a key cord to it. If the cup is full, you’ll put it down where you are working. But the minute you have finished your drink, you can attach your mug to yourself with the string or cord. You can hang it from your wrist, or you can pull the cord through a belt loop and just leave your mug hanging from your pants. You’ll be able to take the mug with you wherever you go, without actually having to hold it. You can even take it home with you at the end of a day’s work. Just keep it close and you’ll never have to share it again.
So, my final decision is not a ban or a cease and desist at the address of your colleagues. Instead, I have gotten creative especially for you.
After all, giving you a few choices to get what you want is a lot easier than telling dozens of people whom I have no control over what they can or cannot do.
I wish you strength with your decisions because neither are easy. Either you’ll be breaking your beloved Marmite-pleasure-giver or walking around like a bit of nincompoop 😊.
Do you have a case to present to the Court? Simply fill out this form, and your case will be sent directly to the court clerk. Once submitted, Charlotte may just provide a ruling as part of RTL Today’s commitment to justice and familial, neighbourly, and communal peace.
Opinion: Stephen Lowe - Power struggle: bringing your own mug to work
