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 think the rule at SunShades place is outrageous. I couldn't get through a whole morning without a cup of tea, and if I get really hungry, it often triggers a migraine.

I also think it sounds really miserable: no cakes on birthdays, ice creams on hot days, chocs or cake from grateful clients. It's a bit Scrooge-like imo.

Do they make an exception for type 1 diabetics, SunShades?

Surely if they ban eating at desks for one, they have to ban everyone eating at their desks?! We're not allowed to eat at our desks in work for hygiene reasons, which I agree with. But it's the same rules for every one and they don't mind you popping out for a quick snack between break times.

If everyone eats lunch at their desks anyway, what difference does a few snacks during the working day make? Your colleague sounds unreasonable. Does nobody in the office ever eat a banana or a biscuit outside of lunchtime? Ever? Are you all allowed toilet breaks or are they being monitored too? When I was pregnant I was up every hour to pee, I’m pleased nobody complained about that.

I do wonder how many of the ‘you shouldn’t be taking breaks outside of lunch’ posters are actually posting from work now?

(I’m currentry on maternity leave, and snacked at my desk both during pregnancy AND before pregnancy while at work! )

racecar the kitchen is tiny, there is nowhere to sit, I'm constantly moving out of the way of other people, it's hot and has no air con. It's horrid!

Omg the amount of Puritanism on here 😂😂 my office is tiny and we only have a small table and 2 chairs in the kitchen. Absolutely everyone eats at their desks and snacks throughout the day (fruit, nuts etc). Cereal is not ideal to be completely honest but in my opinion YANBU, your colleagues are.

Christ Almighty? When did eating fruit become antisocial? A while ago, I had to sit next a man in the cinema who was eating nachos and a jumbo hotdog that I had previously seen him him take into the gents with him 🤢 Now that’s fucking antisocial. Some of you sound like that loony woman who wanted to shout at a girl eating an orange on public transport because her SN son couldn’t cope with the smell.

I dont think YABU OP. Problem is in offices there are difficult people who think their can weild control over others through their line manager.

You line manager is a wimp though- tell them you’re pregnant and need to eat regularly and you want it accommodated either at your desk or in the kitchen and you want the trouble-making complaints to be dealt with more effectively in future, and not encourage d

I definitely think the orange is a problem. They are very pungent - and very sticky. It's one thing needing to eat small amounts frequently, but it is a bit arsey to choose things with a very obvious scent that carries, and noisy food.

Irma my colleague had a tuna salad with egg mayo yesterday. Should I have complained about that? My point here is the double standard. Why does it matter what time of day you eat? Surely you can either eat at your desks or not...

Don’t give in on this OP- go and discuss with manager now whilst iron is hot. They are being lazy and soft.

I do wonder how many of the ‘you shouldn’t be taking breaks outside of lunch’ posters are actually posting from work now?

Lol, DP manages to do the Guardian crossword most days at work, AND spend loads of time looking at 2nd hand motorbikes and motorhomes online. God knows what previous staff have been like, because they think he gets through an amazing amount of work.

Funnily enough, they have a no food rule in the office too, they have to go and eat in the kitchen. They're at least allowed drinks that aren't water though.

@LakieLady

Exceptions to the no eating or drinking rule can be made at the discretion of senior management upon presentation of medical evidence showing the employee on question can't wait until lunchtime to eat.

Oh dear sunshades. You must have such a low level of unskilled staff in your company to have them comply with this shit. Poor sods must be desperate for a job, or used to being bullied and don’t expect anything more

my colleague had a tuna salad with egg mayo yesterday

Now that's proper smelly!

Where I work, there used to be a "no hot food at desks" rule, ostensibly because of smells. Some busybody grassed up a colleague for having a cup-a-soup, ffs, despite the fact that the grass regularly used to shell a hard-boiled egg at her desk.

Since we got a new CEO, all that sort of shite has fallen by the wayside.

What’s the fact that it’s sticky got to do with it? Presumably the OP isn’t wiping her hands down anyone’s shirtfront? And orange is widely accepted to be a pleasant smell - that’s why it’s used for shower gels, room sprays, candles. Diptyque has yet to produce a ‘Tuna ‘n’ Sweetcorn’ diffuser.

Exceptions to the no eating or drinking rule can be made at the discretion of senior management upon presentation of medical evidence showing the employee on question can't wait until lunchtime to eat.

Let's hope no-one dies of a hypo while at work then! My DSS is type 1, and a year or so ago, he went into a hypo, totally unexpectedly, for the first time in about 14 years. He's so adept at managing his diabetes, he didn't realise what was happening.

I think it’s fine for your manager to ask you not to eat at your desk except for lunchtime if that is a rule that’s enforced for everyone. They have made reasonable adjustments because they are allowing you to stop work and go to the kitchen to eat if you need to. If they said you can’t eat anywhere outside of lunchtime then you would have a case that they haven’t accommodated your needs. I understand it’s a pain to have to keep getting up and down but in my opinion you wouldn’t have a case if you tried to escalate this.

Diptyque has yet to produce a ‘Tuna ‘n’ Sweetcorn’ diffuser.

There's surely material for a whole thread on "scent combinations Jo Malone will never dream up". My nomination would be "Wet dog and fox poo".

Well, I've just finished eating my lunch at my desk, as have most people in the building. If you are not customer facing and your office does not have a separate break room (lots don't), then it is usual to eat at your desk.

Some places won't allow it (partly because getting food in your keyboard is gross and also because of the risk of spilling), but most do.

Does no-one other than you really snack during the day? We have an hour for lunch and one of my colleagues seems to eat all day (usually dried fruit and nut). Keep an eye on everyone else - if others are secret snacking as well then you are being discriminated against.

If no-one else is snacking then speak to your manager again. Either they will need to put a chair in the kitchen area for you, which sounds unfeasible), give you space somewhere else or just make an adjustment for you to eat at your desk. Depending on what you are eating, I can often have snacks one handed and work in between, rather than disappear to eat for 5 minutes, which is more productive.

gamer so when I'm 8 months pregnant + I'm going to be expected to go and stand in a cramped kitchen whilst I eat a pear or an orange? I just think this is ridiculous! Would you say the same to a diabetic person who needed to eat, or someone who had trouble regulating their blood pressure, or any other health related reason? Or is it just pregnancy related problems you'd send me to the kitchen for?

People do snack, they have a biscuit here and there. I just do it too much apparently!

Couldn’t you go for a walk around the block and eat your orange or something? A meeting room? Does it have to be the little kitchen?

Personally I would stick to my guns with wimpy manager but if they decide to end all snacking at desks you’re going to need another option

YANBU. I think you could make a case for discrimination if they don't let you snack.

I'm a teacher and I snacked throughout my pregnancy - I couldn't pee when I wanted but I definitely ate when I wanted (I went through a gifted box of Krispy Kremes in a few days )

Oranges as pungent and problematic is a pretty niche view. I say this as someone who doesn't like the smell of coffee and finds that much more pungent than eg fish, so I know a bit about having a non-standard set of smell preferences that it would be ludicrous to expect a workplace to act on.

OP what exactly is your manager proposing as the solution to this?

If you’re being singled out on the sacking front then I think you should protest quite firmly. It’s not up to your work colleagues to decide that you snack too much whatever the reason, but when it’s because you’re pregnant your work is looking at the possibility of a discrimination case, and I think you should make that clear.