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?

Your boss can require you to eat only at designated breaks, or dress in blue on Tuesdays, it can be a condition of your employment and an office rule (or a rule for some people and not others) not to eat outwith lunch hours.

However, your pregnancy is covered as a special circumstance. If you were caught off guard in the moment you could speak to your boss again and explain why you're eating as you are, and ask for a dispensation.

So, YANBU but your boss may not have realised the situation before speaking to you.

So Glassy, did you ask your manager why only you are being banished to the kitchen when others are allowed to snack t their desks? What are you thinking of doing going forward?

@Charm23 that was my immediate thought.

OP you could be one of these people who bangs their teeth on the spoon when eating cereal, plus eats with their mouth open and makes other horrible noises. The complaint is then likely to be from more than one colleague but your manager being discrete won't say.

My manager has stated that my colleague (no idea which one) thinks I have too many snacks throughout the day at my desk and that I should eat in the kitchen or at lunch time. He doesn't seem to know why, just that I am having 'too many' (4) snacks a day. He's told me it's nothing about eating too loud or the smell, just that I should eat when everyone else eats. I have just spoken to him and he has told me I should just ignore the complaint. Not what he was saying before but he's had advice from his manager apparently and I'm to eat at my desk. He used the words 'we have to follow up all complaints regardless of how mindless or silly they seem' - Wish he'd have phoned me before I had this long drawn out thread but thanks to everyone who contributed.

I have great sympathy for your sickness and heartburn (I had HG) but I do think it's a bit unreasonable to eat so often in a shared office, when there's a kitchen nearby. I had a colleague who was always snacking, it was distracting and annoying. The sound of her spoon scraping round a cereal bowl, crinkly rustly wrappers, the smell of her cup a soup or cheese sandwiches that lingered long after she'd finished them. Apple cores and banana skins made the office bin really smelly in hot weather! Plus crumbs and sticky areas around her PC.

I don't mind the sound of people eating at lunchtime or on a break, but when it's constant chomping and chewing it gets really irritating.

I'd limit your in-office snacks to break and lunch times and eat the rest in the kitchen.

Last time I checked a chair wasn't a required utensil in order to eat...

Last time you checked OPs medical records to see if, as an 8 months pregnant woman who's experienced various pregnancy complications, she's able to stand much? When exactly was this?

There will be somewhere OP can sit. Unless she works in the Borrowers office.

Nope melon, there's no 'will' about it I'm afraid. I have worked in two places where there was nowhere other than desks to eat, and nowhere that a chair would've fitted that wasn't either blocking a fire exit or client facing. If there were any Borrowers there, they kept themselves very quiet.

The reality is that you have no idea about the layout of this workplace, thus you are making assumptions when you say x or y will be possible. You are not in a position to say.

Glad it's sorted OP. At least your boss' manager is sensible! Your boss should have taken advice before mentioning it to you!!!

Thanks for the update, OP. Your manager was being a tit, basically, and has had a kick up the bum from his manager.
As for 'we have to follow up all complaints regardless of how mindless or silly they seem', put in a complaint about the vague and unhelpful/unconstructive nature of the complaint he brought to you and the implied discrimination and see how they follow that up.

And bollocks to your colleague. Too many snacks for what? Their personal preference? FFS.

Glad you got it sorted but 'we have to follow up all complaints regardless of how mindless or silly they seem' is BS and bad management. Following up doesn't mean he had to come and address the issue with you directly 🙄

Cereal and fruit can both be noisy. People eating noisy or smelly food can be distracting and annoying for people in the vicinity.

I think your employers are being unreasonable for not providing you with any space to eat your lunch other than at your desk. That's no good for anyone's health, whether they are pregnant or not. Surely your employers could find space for a couple of tables and some chairs?

Mmm, it's not the best management. If I were HR I'd be twitching slightly over all this to a pregnant employee.

I prefer to go elsewhere instead of eating at my desk but some workplaces literally don't have space for anything else. Galley kitchen and what was I assume once a dining area converted into an office. Not that uncommon if you work in office environments that are old houses, iyswim. The worst dive I was ever in, they did have a kitchen but it only sat five people tops and there were lots more of us in the bulding than that and it was virtually rotting away.

They probably think you're taking the Mick with multiple breaks.
Why not divide your lunch time into chunks so they can see you've got the same lunch break time allowance as they have?

Why can't you eat it in the kitchen?

I think the bigger problem here isn't the food itself but the multiple breaks you're taking throughout the day. It might only seem like 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there, but what you're doing is stealing hundreds of hours from your employer over the year.

That's why we have regular patrols at my place by senior management. It helps ensure there's no thefts like this taking place. All they do is build resentment amongst the other staff.

Sunshades I hardly leave my desk. I don't take a long break in the middle of the day. I take 5 minutes every time I eat if that. There are smokers in my office. People who drink coffee all day and spend much more time doing this than I do eating. I'm hardly stealing time...

*Nope melon, there's no 'will' about it I'm afraid. I have worked in two places where there was nowhere other than desks to eat, and nowhere that a chair would've fitted that wasn't either blocking a fire exit or client facing. If there were any Borrowers there, they kept themselves very quiet.

The reality is that you have no idea about the layout of this workplace, thus you are making assumptions when you say x or y will be possible. You are not in a position to say*

You are quite right that I have no idea of the layout of OP workplace, although she has mentioned that she didn't want to sit in the kitchen.
So their is room for a chair.

I'm not familiar with the cramped surroundings that you describe. Our staff always had sufficient time and facilities to have a proper break.
Eating at ones desk would is not something I would want to do.

Glassy your manager appears to be a bit useless, at least in regards to handling interpersonal conflict in the team. Following up on a complaint doesn’t mean “repeat it to whoever it’s targeting”. Still, at least it’s done now and you can go back to your perfectly reasonable habits. I hope you aren’t feeling too bothered by the idea of one of your colleagues having made such a petty complaint about you. Just try and remember that it takes all sorts and at least your manager’s manager has enough sense to stop the idiocy in its tracks.

Melonscoffer then aren't you lucky you've never worked anywhere with inadequate facilities. One of my jobs I do now, I have to eat in my car. One job I had, our 'staffroom' was a large store cupboard with a table in it with 2 chairs (5 of us in per shift). We used to sit on the floor mostly. And if you had hot food like a microwave meal you'd take it in turns to use the chairs and table so you didn't spill it on yourself.

Have you tried giving up wheat to get rid of the heartburn

*I think the bigger problem here isn't the food itself but the multiple breaks you're taking throughout the day. It might only seem like 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there, but what you're doing is stealing hundreds of hours from your employer over the year.

That's why we have regular patrols at my place by senior management. It helps ensure there's no thefts like this taking place. All they do is build resentment amongst the other staff.*

That sounds like an absolutely miserable workplace.

People are entitled to take regular breaks including a lunch break, and they should also be able to get up and leave their desk at regular intervals.

Some people must work in intolerant places .. can't believe eating cereal and crisps is so offensive! There are all sorts of distractions in a shared office e.g. talking, phone ringing, people coming in and out. Some tolerance is required.

I'd have punched someone if they tried to take my food when I was pregnant.

You'd have been physically removed from the office by security and senior management in that case at my place @spugzbunny.

Who's your CEO SunShades? General Woundwort? Or is he too cuddly for your company?