Keep coffee under lock and key

Dear Diane: I work in a small office, only about 30 people. We have a coffee machine, and we provide our own coffee.

I know what you’re thinking, that someone is drinking and not putting in his or her share, but this is something much more disturbing — coffee going missing. It’s literally a mystery, Diane. One day the coffee can will be full to the brim, and the next day the can has only enough for a couple of pots.

There is no way we are making that much coffee.

No one will cop to it, even after I posted an open offer, gently and honestly written, to provide coffee to someone who is clearly very needy if that person has to pilfer grounds from the office can. What can we do?

— Working with a Caffeine Klepto

Dear Working: Two things could be at play here: First, your assumption that your co-workers couldn’t be making that much coffee may be in error. Unless you are standing guard and counting the number of pots of coffee made per day, you don’t really know what your staff’s usage is. You have a staff of 30. Let’s assume each staff member drinks two cups per day, that’s 60 cups of coffee. How many cups does a can of coffee yield?

The second possibility is that you are correct and there is, in fact, a coffee thief in your midst. If that’s the case, then your only solution is to limit access to the coffee can. Lock it in your desk or some neutral area, like a file cabinet. Whenever someone needs to make a pot, they must ask someone for the key. This way, you’ll be able to monitor the amount of coffee that’s made and also check the coffee can after each use.