Non technical solutions
I have survived in open plan offices with pen-takers in several ways
1. I keep one pen in my pocket. Zero on the desk or in any non-lockable drawers. or
2. The top of the desk is littered with NON-WORKING pens - ones that have either run out of ink, glopped up my hand when used, or leaked, smeared or blotted. Traps for the unwary. or
3. When I worked in a mostly guys office, I had a bottle of nail polish in a sickening glittery pink. It was applied to staplers, pens, tape dispensers, etc. that resided in or on my desk. If one went missing, easy to spot the offender. I would take it back and (for repeat offenders) leave a floofy little dollar-store ballerina toy glued to their desk with an adhesive that only I knew the solvent to remove. (helps to be a hobbyist with large array of adhesives). They ganged up and took every piece of pink-glittered equipment. Every desk AND CHAIR the next morning had several ballerinas. They relented. BTW, my supervisor was a woman, and amused.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
