Office Etiquette

[gunsandbanjos]

Lighthearted (ish)
Nice bloke leaving our team brings in delicious snacks for us.
Spied random people I’ve never seen helping themselves to said delicious snacks.
Is this the done thing? Every office I’ve been in each team does their own treats and you don’t touch other teams unless invited to.
Just curious!

You don't touch other team snacks unless it's after hours and you're working late and no one from the other team is still in. Thems the rules!

I thought that was the general rule.

At our office, things will be brought in for the team or teams, and shared as we come together to eat them.

And then any left overs are put on the kitchen bench, and then it's a free-for-all for everyone else.

I suppose it depends on how, and where, the treats are shared in the first place. If they're just put down somewhere for people to help themselves, I can see how that could lead to anyone just helping themselves....

Team food in the department is just for the team, food left in the kitchen is a free for all although usually has a note with it.

However, my department is one that a lot of people walk past, so people snaffle our snacks all the time!

In our office, if there's some left over nearby teams might be invited to share. But just taking bits is definitely not on.

Is he just leaving the team or whole organisation? Could he work with these people but you don't know them?

I hate this kind of thing! Our team tends to have a very well stocked biscuit tin. The CEO keeps walking past and snaffling them. He’s never bought a single biscuit!

Stuff for general consumption goes in the kitchen and you send an email.

Same here, first it's put on a desk or something within the team, then in the kitchen for anybody.
It's polite to offer a piece to anyone who comes to our desk for a chat, but I can't imagine people helping themselves without being invited to do so.

If the treats were in a "public" area like the kitchen , it's reasonable for others to think it was ok to have a bit.

Our head of department nearly always snaffles something if she's passing. But then she brings in a lot of treats, including ice creams a few times in summer, so she gets away with it.

He may be friendly with them and invited them to dip in by e-mail

He may be friendly with them and invited them to dip in by e-mail

What if your office doesn't have "teams"...?

I've never worked in an office that does team snacks. If someone brings in treats, everyone can share.

It gets tricky when you have more than 100 co-workers on the same floor

They were at the end of our row, not in the kitchen.
He’s leaving the organisation.

I've never worked in an office that does team snacks. If someone brings in treats, everyone can share.

But there are thousands of people in my office!

Friends from elsewhere in the organisation could be a possibility, however they didn't even say hi to the guy who is leaving. Just swooped in and grabbed the goodies.

If they'd been hanging around chatting to him I wouldn't have batted an eyelid as they obviously would have known him.

Our place had less than 30 staff and seemed a bit mean to exclude e.g. the 6 accounts staff or the 4 in the purchasing office....

Or the despatch blokes in the back....

Must be at least 500 if not 1000 in the office, don’t get paid enough to buy treats for everyone!

I think if big open plan office, you eat stuff if invited/in your team.
Unless it's something like a big tub of chocs where there are loads.

I think in any office there are greedy buggers who just eat anything going though.