Colleague making me feel physically sick?

[BurnMeDown]

Every morning colleague gets a big cooked breakfast to eat at her desk (next to me) and as soon as she sits down she turns the desk fan on.

So literally the smell of the breakfast is being blasted into my face. It makes me gag.

I darent say anything as she’s so ridiculously sensitive.

Am I acting like a princess?

YABU if you're allowed to eat at your desk. I can't stand the smell of oranges, make me gag so I just make myself scarce if I see someone peeling one.

Equally we have our Friday Maccies or breakfast sandwich. If anyone really dislikes it then they just take a long tea making break.

I used to line manage and I wouldn't take this seriously due to our office culture. There was one woman who used to complain because people were too loud/quiet/sniffed too much and expected to be agreed with every time.

Get your own fan and point it at her? She can’t complain, you’re doing what she’s doing.....

I was going to suggest this. Blow the smell back at her.

Take the fuse out of the plug 👍

We all manage not to gag and throw up. We are adults

Unfortunately, the gag reflex in't age related. Some people are more sensitive to smells than others are. If a smell turns your stomach, then you will gag - it's as simple as that.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3357608-To-make-rashers-in-the-microwave-at-work

There used to be signs on the Tube asking people to be considerate of fellow passengers and not eat “smelly” food. Anyone remember that?

It obviously pisses a lot of people off, inhaling other people’s kebab fumes in an enclosed space.

In my office (large company and quite modern/trendy) this would be acceptable/ happens regularly and you would be considered unreasonable to complain.

Every office is different. It’s very common for us to eat at our desks and would only be considered rude to bring extremely pungent foods such as strong fish/curry/cheese.

An exception is made for pregnant women who are allowed to complain about food smells without raising eyebrows and generally everyone on their immediate bank of desks will avoid a certain food if it makes her feel unwell

I've recently been working in office on same the corridor as the staff canteen.

Every morning a bloke makes kippers for his breakfast in the microwave.

FUCKING KIPPERS!!!!

Take the food once, pick it up and put it in the bin. Or throw up once near her.

It will be eaten elsewhere in future.

In any case, your objection should not just be about the smell but not wishing an ill colleague in future.

I’m not sure why the bacon thread keeps getting brought up?

She’s not cooking bacon in a microwave.

She’s getting a cooked breakfast from the canteen and eating it next to me with her fan on, so the smell is being directly blown on to me.

If the op in the bacon thread is cooking it in the microwave and then walking around with said bacon in one hand and a hand held fan in the other then I’d see your point.

In my office (large company and quite modern/trendy) this would be acceptable/ happens regularly and you would be considered unreasonable to complain.

Presumably without desk fans blowing the smell at colleagues?

I have worked in offices when people snack and eat lunch at their desk but bringing breakfast that should be eaten before you get to work is taking the piss a bit. I do find the smell of greasy food before 11 quite sickly. Hate the smell of egg sandwiches.

In my office (large company and quite modern/trendy) this would be acceptable/ happens regularly and you would be considered unreasonable to complain.

Presumably without desk fans blowing the smell at colleagues?

Well exactly this ^

As I’ve already said people do eat food at their desk at work. I wouldn’t complain about this, as you can’t ban one person and allow everyone else.

It’s the combination of the FAN with the food.

I would hate this, honestly

You should ask your manager to step in if you don’t feel comfortable

I have a really strong aversion to the smell of mint, so I do actually find the world quite difficult to navigate sometimes. First thing in the morning, a lot of people smell of toothpaste, them there's chewing gum and extra strong mints. Some of you seem to be struggling to understand how somebody like me copes with everyday life - well, a lot of the time I don't, not very well, anyway. I have in the past had to excuse myself in order to run off and puke. Some pp who obviously aren't sensitive to smells might think I'm being over-dramatic or not an adult (?) but I sympathise, OP. Your situation sounds horrible. I'd feel sick ifI had sweaty breakfast stink being blown directly into my face every morning too.

Could the manager ask her to move her fan to the other side of the desk? Or is there someone the other side too?

Some have fans but no I wouldn’t say they specifically blow the smell of food onto anyone.

I guess that would be annoying. Maybe say the fan is making you snotty/feel unwell.

It may just be that she loves food and can't really appreciate how normal food smells can make someone gag and feel sick. All food smells fine to me. I never mind the smell of other people's food.
You find food offensive. I find people who are not pregnant or otherwise vulnerable and who bleat about food smells a bit uptight and annoying. Live and let live.

Practically, just tell her. Have a grown-up conversation. But bear in mind you probably have really annoying habits that piss other people off. Everyone does. We have the throat-clearer, the loud talker, the scalp scratcher, the loud (relevant to work) TV watcher and the man who eats microwave popcorn at 3pm every friday. I hate that smell..it is like dead things but hey ho.

Ohnothanks good post. Hey ho indeed. Quite.

Every office I have worked in has involved people eating cooked breakfasts at their desk. I have done so too.

My office has a culture of eating at desks, and I do it myself, including with hot food at lunchtime

My colleague’s eating habits (noisy, smelly, constant) and permanent fan noise all year round are pretty objectionable however

But because he objectively isn’t doing anything wrong, I am not about to bother our manager with something like this. So I seethe inwardly and moan on mumsnet instead

She probably thinks she’s being super sensitive by having the fan on! Aiming to disperse the smell and the noise of her eating! Just ask her to turn the fan off while she’s eating as it’s actually blowing the smell directly onto you. If it was a one off, I’d advise to ignore, but a daily thing? No, ask her to turn it off.

At my last company one of the guys used to heat up tinned mackerel in the microwave. Urgh!

It's an open plan office so it is put up and shut up I'm afraid unless you can move desks or suggest hot desking