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Utilising office consumables…

Q:

Salaams.

Offices generally have consumables like tea, coffee, sugar, milk sachets or capsules. Sometimes they keep fruits or chocolates as well for employees consumption.

Is it OK if someone, instead of utilising these or eating /drinking these at work, takes these home?

The quantity taken home is not unreasonable. E.g., if a person usually drinks one or two coffees while in office, but on a particular day he decides to take those one-two capsules home. Or if he usually would eat two fruits in the office, but on a particular day he takes those two fruits home?

What if the employee reasonably believes that management would be OK on such consumables being taken home for utilization? For e.g., based on past behaviour? (E.g., management has previously allowed the employee to take home the newspaper for the day which is generally kept for employees reading in the office). Or if it is usual practice, i.e., some employees do take home some fruits etc.

Is that person’s family at home allowed to consume from such food in case it is OK for the employee to take these home?

A:

Wa Alaykumussalam

I appreciate your question.

It depends on Rules and Regulations of the office or the place, person works at. Usually, the consumables which are kept in the offices are for the employee’s use just in the premises.

There could be two scenarios:

1) Either the office gives meal, brunch, consumables or things to consume and use in the premises or to be taken home. In this case the employee has the option to carry the consumables etc. to his home and can be consumed by his family.

2) Or the consumables are kept in the office for employee’s use just to be consumed in the premises during the office work. In this case according to the Rules and Regulations one is not allowed to take the consumables to his house unless mentioned.

One of the other things to be taken care of is that the worker or the manager are not the Rules and Regulations. Suppose the worker asks the things to be taken away, in this case one isn’t allowed to take it unless the owner of the place or Rules and Regulations have allowed and declared it to be correct.

But if one doubts, whether he has permission to take away the consumable or not, then one must abstain from taking away the things to his house.

Wassalam,

Syed Haider