Sometimes the smallest actions reveal the biggest power imbalances.

When an employee’s boss broke into her locker to reclaim company technology, the issue stopped being about equipment and became more about a lack of boundaries.

Is the issue worth reporting to HR, or should she just let it go?

Read on to find out what Reddit thought.

WIATAH for report my supervisor to HR for breaking into my locker?

I (33F) work as a personal shopper for a big box store.

We use handheld scanners and printers for orders, and because handhelds often go missing, there’s a 9-month-old policy requiring us to sign them in and out each shift.

So the employee thought she was following all the rules, but came back to a huge surprise.

Today, I signed out my handheld, grabbed a printer, put both in my locker, and went on my hour lunch break.

When I returned, my lock had been cut off with bolt cutters, and my handheld and printer were gone.

Thankfully, my purse wasn’t in there, because the locker was left wide open.

I asked my supervisor why my locker was broken into.

Her boss had quite the interesting response.

He said he was “tired of people hoarding handhelds” and that they need to be accessible when someone is on lunch or clocked out.

I explained that if I let someone use my signed-out handheld, I might not have equipment when I return—and if they lost it, I’d be held responsible.

He had no real answer and just repeated his “accessible to everyone” point.

Later, he gave me my handheld and printer back, saying he’d get me a new lock.

But for her, the damage was already done.

I told him I didn’t feel comfortable leaving my purse there anymore and would keep it in my car.

I spoke with my direct manager and another supervisor.

They were pretty much on her side and it sparked a larger conversation.

They sympathized and agreed it’s contradictory to make us responsible for signed-out equipment while also treating it like community property.

They said there would be a meeting about it.

But she wonders if she should take things even further.

Friends and family think my supervisor violated my personal space and that I should report it to HR.

I’m hesitant—it wouldn’t be anonymous since my locker was the only one broken into, and I’m worried it could make things worse.

She still finds herself bothered by what happened.

What frustrates me most is that if he’d taken a moment to see whose locker it was, we could’ve talked about it.

I’ve stored my equipment in my locker during lunch for over a year without issue.

Instead, I feel singled out, embarrassed, and like he overstepped his authority—especially since he didn’t even give the equipment to someone in need, just kept it until I asked about the break-in.

This feels like a real invasion of privacy.

What did Reddit make of all this?

Maybe this boss did have somewhat of a point.

This commenter wonders if this rule is actually written anywhere.

This user thinks the employee has every right to be weirded out by this.

This user thinks employees should be allowed a little discretion as long as the devices end up in the right place.

What bothered her most wasn’t the missing equipment — it was the broken trust.

It’s hard to feel like a team player when you’re treated like this.

If you liked that post, check this one about a guy who got revenge on his condo by making his own Christmas light rules.