to ask what you would do

[cjt110]

You are sat at your desk. Most people take lunch on or at half past the hour. The kitchen is free at 20 minutes past so you decide to pop your frozen meal in that takes 6 minutes, plus another 6 and go back to your desk, which is located within 10 paces from your desk.

Colleague comes upstairs at 25 minutes past and goes into the kitchen. You hear huffing, puffing, banging and "Fuck sakes" because the microwave is in use and he stomps into another room.

Do you:

A) Wait for your food to finish cooking - total time 12ish minutes and think tough luck.

OR

B) Take your food our after it finishes it's first 6 minutes and offer microwave to colleague as he only has soup then put yours back in afterwards.

Keep your food going until it is ready. You were first. He can wait. And what sort of person gets into a strop about the microwave being in use? He sounds like a right idiot.

Normally I'd do B.

But in this case, probably A seeing as he was such an arsehole about it.

I would do the second option. It’s nice to be nice.

Well, if the other person is on their 12-12.30 lunch break and had to get their soup done and be back at their desk, I would have taken my food out and let them use it.

A. Unless he hasn't eaten for 3 days, he can wait.

He's a wanker, but at least he didn't take your stuff out and put his stuff in. I've had that done before.

Are you using the cooking time as part of your break or in addition to it ?
Was you colleague already on their break ?

I wouldn't take something for lunch that is going to take up the microwave for 12 minutes...

You were there first! He needs to manage his time better and stop acting like a child.

If he wasn't a twat I'd offer use of the microwave part-way.

Since he was a twat I'd start finding more things to microwave in the hopes of making him actually cry.

He gets a 30 minute lunch break, as do I, and I assume came straight up from his desk.

This person blows hot and cold and I don't know why but intimidates me. He is only nice when he is asking a favour or wants something and the rest of the time is rude, arrogant and ignores me. This has been repeated by other colleagues so it's not just me.

I did B. I went into the room he was in and said "If you want to put yours in now, I'll put mine back in after" He grunted in response that he'd do it in a minute to which I said well it's upto you but mine goes back in for another 6 minutes soon.

He stomped into the kitchen did his soup and didn't even grunt a tahnk you, kiss my arse nor nothing.

SO tempted to say "Oh, you're welcome" and when he looks puzzled say "I thought I had heard you say thank you"

Cannot stand arrogant, self absorbed arseholes. At least I did the courteous thing.

12 minutes hogging the microwave is a very long time, especially if lunch breaks are only 30 minutes.

flossieisbossy I was working, he came on lunch.

Spam88 It was sat in the fridge so I did expect it to defrost as usual. But it didnt

He is a rude tosser. Would he carry on like that with the boss?

Mabel I don't know but he's like that with a few of us.

Have actually just had a word with his departmental manager - it's not the first time and I'm fed up of his rude behaviour.

I said that he's only ever nice when he wants something - Say I've emailed asking "does anyone want a carpet cleaner as otherwise it's going to the tip" He's sweet as pie. Next thing he's asking could I get discount for him from X shop that DH works at - again sweet as pie. Yet looks down his nose in between and is just rude.

Sadly she said he's not just like that with me and she will see what she can do.

Obviously he's in the wrong but I have to admit that it drives me bonkers when people cook frozen microwave meals for lunch at work. Just have a sandwich or a salad like normal people! But I appreciate that's my issue, not theirs. 

you were in the wrong
cook your food during your break
I would be pissed off too

I’d do A for sure! Yours was in first, he needs to deal with it.

We’ve removed microwaves in our offices. Cooked food smells permeate the whole open plan offices and leave lingering unpleasantness. Often people splatter the microwave and don’t clean it or leave rotting food in fridges. It’s ghastly.
We now have cold food only on the office floor with no eating at hotdesks. We have a refectory downstairs where people can purchase hot food, if they want.

Twelve minutes is a long time to take up the microwave when people only get 30 minutes lunch, or will more than likely be more like 14 minutes, you put yours in for six, walk away, it pings, you go back stir it, reset the microwave further six minutes, hear it ping come back get it out. So you've taken up half of someone's lunch break pretty much. Soup etc takes about 2-3 minutes which I think is about the max if there's only one microwave and everyone only has half an hour. He was grumpy but YWBU