Somewhere in every office is a charger that went out for a short meeting and never came back.
The same can happen to staplers, markers, adapters, scissors and that one pen that writes unusually well. Borrowing something is normal. Forgetting where it came from is where the small frustration begins.
Colleague Care Tip 05
Borrowed something? Return it before your colleague has to launch a search party.
It is a funny line because it is also painfully familiar.
Returning a borrowed item seems like a tiny act. Yet it tells your colleague something useful: you respect their time, you remember that the item belongs to them, and they will not have to interrupt their work to look for it.
Small objects can create surprisingly large interruptions
A missing charger can stop someone from joining a call.
A missing marker can delay a discussion just as everyone gathers around the whiteboard.
A borrowed adapter can become the unexpected main character five minutes before a presentation.
None of these situations is dramatic by itself. The problem is the extra searching, messaging and mental clutter they create.
Good colleague care often means removing these small, avoidable interruptions.
Try the three-part borrowing habit
01. Say what you are taking
A quick “I’m borrowing your charger for an hour” is enough. Your colleague knows where it went and when to expect it back.
02. Return it to the same place
Putting something somewhere nearby may feel close enough, but it can still disappear from the owner’s point of view. Return it to the desk, drawer or shelf where you found it.
03. Replace what you finish
If you use the last label, battery or sheet of paper, replace it or tell the person responsible. The next colleague should not discover the empty box at the exact moment they need it.
What if you forget?
Return it when you remember and acknowledge the delay.
No elaborate explanation is required. A simple “Sorry, this stayed on my desk longer than planned” usually works better than pretending the item teleported there by itself.
The goal is not perfect office etiquette. It is reliability.
A happier workplace is built from small acts
People remember the colleagues who make work easier.
They return what they borrow. They give a quick update when plans change. They leave shared spaces ready for the next person.
These habits rarely receive applause, but they build trust quietly.
And yes, they also prevent an innocent stapler from appearing on the office missing-person list.
0 comments