Charged With Anger

(I always keep an extra phone charger plugged in at my desk in case I need it. My coworkers know this and tend to borrow it when they need to, if it’s not in use. I don’t mind, as we have a small office and I’ve never had an issue with anyone abusing it or not returning it. We had a new hire start about a month ago. He’s in the same office but a different department, so I don’t know him well. He comes and stands at my cubicle and puts his hand out.)

Me: “Hi, what can I do for you?”

Coworker: “My phone is dead.” *shows me his phone, which is a different brand*

Me: “Oh, I’m sorry. I can’t help you. I only have [Brand] charger; it won’t work with your phone.”

Coworker: “Seriously!? I was told to come to your desk for a charger. How could you only have [Brand]?”

Me: “I think there may have been a miscommunication. I keep an extra charger at my desk for my phone, which is [Brand]. I am more than happy to let other [Brand] users borrow it when I’m not using it, but I’m not the ‘keeper of the chargers’ for [Company].”

(I laugh a bit to lighten the mood, thinking maybe he thought that our work supplied chargers and I just held onto them. But no.)

Coworker: “Wow, that is the most selfish thing I’ve ever heard. If you make something accessible to one group, you should make it accessible to all. Equality, you know? [Other Brand] chargers aren’t that expensive; you should have bought one to share with people who don’t use your stupid elite phone!” *storms off*

Other Coworker: *across the aisle* “Did… Did he just yell at you for not having an extra charger for a phone you don’t own?”