Ok, here is a new one. We have a teller in one of our branches who is eating "White-out". Yes, I am serious and this is not a joke. She paints on her fingernails and then eats it. I was told by the Branch Admin that she has consumed 8 bottles in a month.

I understand from my childcare books that eating non-food items (pica) is a sign of emotional distress.
How would anyone handle this situation?

Take her and a bottle of white out into the ladies room. Ask her, "Do you know how they test each bottle before shipping to see if the color is right?" Then, take the brush and brush white out onto the toilet bowl, insert the brush back into the bottle, and hand the bottle to her.

Let her have that image in her mind before she licks her fingers again.

There's just something new and weirder than weird every day! The company does not purchase white-out to be eaten. This is a misuse of company resources. If she wishes to eat it, she must buy her own and bring her "snack food" with her. Do you have any rules about not eating on the teller line?

I don't think that would work - this could be fragile and destructive personality disorder or simply someone who likes the taste of White out. How is her performance as a teller? If you can't find a documented performance cause, you have to address the problem directly. Have her supervisor pull her aside and have a chat about it. If that doesn't work, write her up for wasting office resources or acting inappropriately and unprofessionally. Does your bank have a code of conduct?

-g

I've heard of kids eating chalk, but white out??? Yuk!

If this is really a valued teller, you might remove the obsession item from her availability. For instance, you might switch to correction tape rather than liquid.

In a side note, I know that the sniffing of white out is an addiction for some persons, and like other forms of inhaled substances can be fatal. I am unsure about the addictive and possibly dangerous nature of eating the substance. It may be something you wish to check into.

Isn't white out one of the items on the hazordous list banks post in every work location? Obviously she has some issues, but if she's eating a hazordous substance, you have the right and frankly, the duty to remove it from her. Do not allow her to have white out for finger paint or otherwise. Tellers shouldn't be using white out on their paperwork. I was never allowed the stuff when I was a teller. (Though I hadn't thought of asking for it as a snack item)

My bank isn't paying for my fingernail polish....she's mis-using bank assets and telling her NO isn't remotely wrong.

Remove the stuff and warn her about the mis-use. If she continues..it's grounds for other action.

The bottel of white out I have says do not swallow right on it.

I am truly concerned. This is not normal behavior. I am starting to wonder what else she does. The BA just mentioned it in passing, as a "can you believe this?" but I am worried, first for her health and second for our liability.

Has This teller Passed a Drug Test ? was she screened for Drugs ? if Yes : when was That ? if No : what are you waiting for ?

How about the issue of "white out" being behind the teller line? I personally forbade any of my staff to have white out behind the teller line. They were always using it on audit logs or GL tickets...an audit nightmare. How about teaching them "one line drawn neatly through the error, correct information written above or below line, and a set of initials." That should solve her and make the auditor happy at the same time.

I really like the relationship between your "user name" and the subject of this thread.
Sometimes it's tough being the only one old enough to recognize the brand-name of typewriters (and other ancient things).

Pica: Isn't that a leaning tower somewhere in Italy?

I thought it was peter Pica picked a peck of ......

Or perhaps it's the little yellow Pokemon mouse....

Just FYI, eating non-food items such as laundry detergent and white out is a sign of having low iron blood. Maybe a health check is in order. Is the number to your employee assistance program posted on the white out bottle?

The good news is, she's not eating cigarette butts.
From Kidshealth.org: "The name "pica" comes from the Latin word for magpie, a bird known for its large and indiscriminate appetite.
Persons with pica most frequently crave and consume non-food items such as dirt, clay, paint chips, plaster, chalk, cornstarch, laundry starch, baking soda, coffee grounds, cigarette ashes, burnt match heads, cigarette butts, and rust. Glue, hair, buttons, paper, sand, toothpaste, soap, oyster shells, and broken crockery also have been cited in pica cases.
Although consumption of some items may be harmless, pica is considered to be a serious eating disorder, sometimes resulting in serious health problems such as lead poisoning and iron-deficiency anemia."

OH Brother! whatever happened with your pica eating teller?

I keep returning to this site to find out what happened as well. Please let us know! This is pretty bazaar! We eat some strange and unique things in Cajun Country, but I don't know anyone that eats white out!