Shady coworker poll. Am I over reacting?

gearhead426hemi

I work rotating 12 hour shift work. There are 4 shifts of 2 people plus a couple trainees. I finally convinced management to allow us to get some workout equipment to keep around for nightshifts and down time to stay active. A couple guys here have had heart attacks and we sit around for the majority of our shift so I want to encourage others to get more active. I found a long term free loan for a Concept 2 rower and a entire tower of dumbbell weights. My shift partner and I workout for 60 minutes every shift including at least 30 minutes on the rower. On my shift rotation out one of the other guys said he polled all the employees and they said they would prefer a treadmill. So I agreed if everyone would USE the treadmill I would give up the rower for the better of the group. I checked on the treadmill history and asked everyone and I was the only one who used the treadmill in 30 days. I HATE treadmills but since that's all I had at work I was using it. I told the guy who took the rower home for his wife I might add that I wanted the rower back since no one is using the treadmill. He through a fit and is complaining that he can't afford to buy his wife a rower and is trying to get out of bringing the rower back. Am I out of line for demanding it back since I prefer the rower and not a single person is using the treadmill? Please comment and let me know.

tiptoethruthetulips

Shouldn't the overriding factor be that your employer is paying for the rower and treadmill so they both need to be located in the workplace? How did the employee get to take the rower home if the employer is paying for it?

That aside, I think it is reasonable that if you are the only one using the equipment that you request the return of the rower.

BasedGawd412

Y'all hiring? 😆

seltzermint555

Is there space for both the rower and the treadmill? If so, I don't get why it's one or the other.
I don't know what type of workplace this is but I'm in an office/manufacturing plant and it's hard to imagine us having room for one of those things but not both (we'd have ample room for both).

It also sounds like the guy who took the rower home for his wife shouldn't have done so, like another post mentioned.

Cahgetsfit

Yeah... how come the guy got to take the rower home? It's not like when we take, you know, one of those little boxes of staples from the stationery cupboard for the home stapler...

TheRealSlim_Shelly

Damn I hope your work has insurance.

And I also am TOTALLY lost as to why the one guy brought home the rower that is property of your company !??

It sounds like one of those times where if you can’t come to an amicable agreement amongst yourselves, everyone will get punished (including yourself) and management will take it all away as it’s already causing too much workplace discord and drama (about something NOT work-related or necessary to your job). Not that you’re the one who started the drama, but this other guy is throwing a fit and causing unneeded attention. This all seems like a privilege which can be easily taken away by management if it becomes a headache for them.

I feel as though you should take the L and just be grateful you have a treadmill and weights and are allowed to workout on the clock. You’re pretty much getting paid to workout at this point. I think your reaction and feeling about it is valid, but you should tread lightly.

Keto_Vampire

Why don't you do another vote for rower vs. treadmill given the outcome of no one actually wanting to use the treadmill? Was said poll really conducted or were results just fabricated or overly generalized?

Al Gore demands a recount...
Yeah, this is what you get for doing the adult thing & being considerate about your work environment as a whole going with the popular decision. Bait and switch BS

Stew501

BasedGawd412 wrote: »

Y'all hiring? 😆

😂😂😂

vanityy99

Did the employer end up giving it to him or something? I don’t see how he would be entitled to take it, you missed addressing that part.

GoodLardy

Oh man, I feel for you. Swapping a rower for a treadmill, ouch.

lynn_glenmont

You mentioned rower was a long term loan in the OP. Whoever the loan was made to (and thus is responsible for returning it at end of loan period) should have control over where the equipment is located.

dm01234_1

He's trying to pull a 'fast one'. Let him know it's not his or his wife's and to buy his own.

Cold day in hell I'd prefer a treadmill over a C2 rower. I say this having owned both and still owning a C2 after 6 years. Treadmill long ago died and went to the recycling center. Would never ever consider replacing it.

gearhead426hemi

I guess I should clarify that the company did not pay for the rower we arranged it with a friend of a friend kind of deal. He had the C2 rower and weights in a storage unit and said we could keep it as long as we wanted. We don't have enough room to have both in the available space. Which brings up another problem management didn't want any equipment to be in the way of daily operations. The rower can be stood up in the corner and takes up hardly any space at all. The treadmill is HUGE and hard to move around so just another reason to not have it.

Doesn't really matter now because when management saw the huge treadmill in our warehouse stored unsafely on the top rack they said no more equipment at all. He moved the treadmill to the top storage shelf without securing it to the pallet and management is furious. I am 99% sure he did this on purpose to make sure he got to keep the rower. Interesting enough to last night all our weights are gone now as well. So he found a shady way to get everything for nothing. When I contacted the owner of all the equipment today he told me the employee called him last night and they made arrangements that the GROUP said it would be ok that he took everything home. It is all gone now and not allowed to come back so is what it is I guess.

This is a prime example of why I am losing my faith in people and why I don't do favors. I gave up something I wanted for sake of the so called group and now I lost everything. Well from here on out I know what my stance will be, I don't care what anyone wants I will worry about me and me alone and everyone else can pound sand.

smoofinator

That guy is a grade-A tool. Sorry you tried to do the right thing and got burned. There's always that one *kitten* who ruins it for everyone.

kgeyser

I would let the owner of the equipment know that the group was never consulted about his taking all the equipment home, you were not consulted in any way, and that as the person who initially procured the equipment you want it understood that you won't be held responsible for any damage or loss of the equipment. If the owner still wants to deal with this guy, that's on them.

It sucks that you tried to do something that would benefit everyone only to have one selfish person ruin it.

Phirrgus

gearhead426hemi wrote: »

I guess I should clarify that the company did not pay for the rower we arranged it with a friend of a friend kind of deal. He had the C2 rower and weights in a storage unit and said we could keep it as long as we wanted. We don't have enough room to have both in the available space. Which brings up another problem management didn't want any equipment to be in the way of daily operations. The rower can be stood up in the corner and takes up hardly any space at all. The treadmill is HUGE and hard to move around so just another reason to not have it.

Doesn't really matter now because when management saw the huge treadmill in our warehouse stored unsafely on the top rack they said no more equipment at all. He moved the treadmill to the top storage shelf without securing it to the pallet and management is furious. I am 99% sure he did this on purpose to make sure he got to keep the rower. Interesting enough to last night all our weights are gone now as well. So he found a shady way to get everything for nothing. When I contacted the owner of all the equipment today he told me the employee called him last night and they made arrangements that the GROUP said it would be ok that he took everything home. It is all gone now and not allowed to come back so is what it is I guess.

This is a prime example of why I am losing my faith in people and why I don't do favors. I gave up something I wanted for sake of the so called group and now I lost everything. Well from here on out I know what my stance will be, I don't care what anyone wants I will worry about me and me alone and everyone else can pound sand.

My company calls that theft. What goes 'round comes around. If that's how that dude operates it'll come back on him one day.

Panini911

kgeyser wrote: »

I would let the owner of the equipment know that the group was never consulted about his taking all the equipment home, you were not consulted in any way, and that as the person who initially procured the equipment you want it understood that you won't be held responsible for any damage or loss of the equipment. If the owner still wants to deal with this guy, that's on them.

It sucks that you tried to do something that would benefit everyone only to have one selfish person ruin it.

This. in writing. you want to cut your ties to this requirement in case the owner tries to reclaim one day and the sketchy co-worker won't return them and the owner comes back to YOU. Better to just document, ensure parties are aware and then you can move on.

daniellespi

I wonder if the wife is even using the rowing machine?
He clearly gifted this to his wife, didn't actually tell her the truth lol. Want me to call this guy, pretend I'm upper management.. demand the rowing machine is returned. Could be fun.