to think that I should be able to eat at work?

[GlassyPinkP]

I work in an office, am not public facing, and sit behind a computer all day. 6 months pregnant and feel hungry throughout the day, but heartburn means I can't eat big meals. I've been eating at my desk (not huge or smelly meals, usually a bowl of cereal, sandwich, fruit etc) throughout the day. It doesn't impact on my work and it makes me feel a whole heap less hungry throughout the day compared to when I eat a tiny breakfast and a tiny lunch in between!

My manager has raised with me that one of my colleagues is not happy that I am eating a lot at my desk (I'm within my calories, it's not a huge amount it's just more spread out). Apparently I should go in to the kitchen area and eat out there. Everyone eats their lunch at their desks but their screens are turned off so it's an official lunch break.

AIBU to think I should be allowed to have a 30 min lunch break to eat my sandwiches and if I want to eat fruit or the odd bowl of cereal 2/3 times a day this shouldn't be an issue?

I'm finding pregnancy really hard and have nausea constantly as well as heartburn and gallbladder problems. Food helps! I don't want to be banished to standing in the kitchen every time I want to eat an orange...

Opinions?

I agree with you. I find eating little and often was something thats really helping through my pregnancy, I’m lucky in the sense that my job is one where I travel by car so can eat in between visits but when I do work alongside my bosses they often make comments about it It’s not like your eating a full English breakfast at your desk or something that takes a while to eat! I generally think whatever seems to help during pregnancy should be allowed during work

If they ban people from eating at their desks, but you need to snack because you are pregnant, then they need to make an adjustment for you so you can snack in the kitchen.

But its not reasonable for you to demand that you eat at your desk. Many companies ban food and drink around computers.

I can't see what the problem is. Has your colleague complained because, in their eyes, you're not doing your fair share of work because you're eating throughout the day?

The sound of other people eating cereal makes me heave (but I’m aware that I’m a weirdo) so I would say cereal is a no but everything else is fine
Upstart the OP said they all eat lunch at their desks, it’s very U if they have one rule for one and different rules for another

Ha was just going to say someone eating cereal at their desk would give me rage, but I am probably BU.... other snacks wouldn’t bother me, when I worked in an office I’d snack all day even when I wasn’t pg

I’ve never worked anywhere where people weren’t allowed to eat at their desk whenever they wanted to! OP perhaps try to find out what the exact complaint was - eg sound of eating, smell of food etc and make a reasonable offer to address it and reach a compromise with the complainer. Surely your company will realise you’ll be more productive eating at your desk than leaving to go and eat elsewhere!

upstart everyone eats at their desk at lunch time. There's nowhere else to eat. We don't have chairs in the kitchen area. The complaint is that I'm eating more than once a day an at intervals instead. I don't really understand.

emma it doesn't change how much work I do at all. Eating an orange doesn't stop me from working. Well, I suppose it does in the 15 seconds it takes to peel!

only thing is my colleague who sits directly opposite eats cereal for lunch often (strange I know but each to their own!). This doesn't bother me when she's eating and I'm working? Hmm, I don't know...

agree about the cereal makes me want to stab someone

I’d struggle with someone slurping cereal next to me while I’m working tbh. Yanbu to eat quiet none smelly food though

Are any of your colleagues on diets and seeing you eat they get the munchies?

How many are in your office. I think you should have a rest room that you can eat away from the workplace. It doesn’t sound a nice place to work.

Ok so cereal aside (I probably have 1 or 2 bowls a week it's not all the time, but point taken!), IANBU?

aged at risk of sounding extremely harsh here, but if someone wants to do well with weight loss and dieting, they need to be able to see people eating and have the will power to not eat themselves (I've been there before!) - I don't think this would be a reasonable reason to make a complaint?

We have about 30 in our office. It's a big room.

I think this thread could go on for pages with people complaining about cereal etc but basically one of your colleagues is being an arse; I think that's appallingly unprofessional to raise such an unnecessary complaint. Are they normally bitches in your office OP? When I was pregnant I found any adjustment whatsoever made for me enraged other colleagues but that was very much their problem, nothing to do with management.

Is it possible that you are a noisy eater? If fruit includes apples you will be as nobody can eat a crisp apple silently.
A significant minority of people can’t bear eating noises, I’m one of them.
A former colleague used to bring in a Chef’s Pantry giant wheel thing with carrot and celery sticks on it that she chomped on throughout the day. It really stressed me out. I can’t help it.
The dink, dink of a spoon eating cereal can be annoying and if you slurp at all...I’d have to leave the room.
As long as they are accommodating your need to eat due to pregnancy by offering a different location, I can’t see the problem.

YANBU. Why shouldn't you be able to eat at your desk? I don't understand all these archaic employers who don't want people eating/working from home/listening to music whilst sitting in front of a computer in an office away from the public for 40 hours a week. Fair enough if you were a nurse, or someone who worked in a clothes shop... but you're not.

Your pregnancy needs trump their food weirdness. End of in my opinion. Have you told manager about heartburn/nausea/hunger?

It's maybe more invasive to others than you think. The sound of chomping cereal or crackers drives me nuts. I hate eating and working together. The sudden smell of an orange is lovely imo but I know some people hate it, and it's certainly intrusive.I used to work beside a woman who ate really stinking salads very slowly and surreptiously picking at them half hidden on her knees or unde rher desk all day long. The smell made me heave and it wound me up so much I couldn't concentrate on work. I'd try to avoid crunchy foods, foods that smell, foods with crackling wrappers, chinking and scraping of plates or cutlery. Could you eat energy bars between meals? They're pretty inoffensive and sustaining.

I'd try to avoid crunchy foods, foods that smell, foods with crackling wrappers, chinking and scraping of plates or cutlery. Could you eat energy bars between meals?

But don't energy bars come in a crackling wrapper?

YANBU OP. Thankfully I work with people who think that grazing is normal!

If I saw someone eating cereal at their desk I’d probably want to lamp them. The noise is gross.

My son takes cereal to work to eat. Having lived through 24 years of his slurping, I'm surprised his colleagues haven't murdered him yet. If they filmed him scoffing first, no court in the land would convict them.

Sorry OP YANBU except for the cereal.

Ask to sit down with your manager and the person who made the complaint to find out exactly what it is they have an objection to.

You may be distracting them with noise, smells etc. Or they may just be being mean spirited. They may also not fully appreciate the horrors of pregnancy heartburn and the NEED to eat small amounts throughout the day to keep you and your pregnancy healthy.

But your manager has not been particularly helpful with their intervention. If they refuse this request explain to them that you will be writing to HR with a doctor's letter detailing your need to be allowed to eat at certain times throughout the day.

I think eating an orange is unreasonable. They are sticky.

I totally understand why you need to eat little and often (been there myself) but I think really they should make allowances for you to go and eat in the kitchen.

I know I personally wouldn't be able to concentrate on my work if the person sitting next to me was slurping and chomping their way through cereal/ fruit etc (the sound of people eating really grates on me) but it might not bother some people.
Just don't speak to any clients on the phone while you're eating (not saying you would do) as I had someone call me from a work place recently while they were chomping their way through their lunch and it wasn't pleasant!!

I don't see why you cant snack at your desk but I have to say, as a manager, that this having breakfast at work thing is annoying.
I have one or two who arrive on time then spend the next ten minutes making coffee and porridge in the microwave to eat at the desk.
Worst of all is the fact that they leave the porridge bowl in the sink with water in it "to soak" until someone else dumps it in the dishwasher at 5pm. 😁
This whole thing just makes me mad - irrational, I know.

The sound of people eating can be annoying to many. I agree with the rage inducing cereal munching. People manage the noise of the food if it is just once a day but if it is continuous it can be stressful. You might also be a noisy eater and be unaware of it. If you need to eat because of your pregnancy, go to the kitchen.