Office ‘shared’ food. Would you say anything?

[KittyVonCatsworth]

We’re a really small team, 10 of us in the office. There’s a table where we all often bring treats in biscuits, fruit, cheese etc for us to help ourselves. However, there’s always the same guy that just trounces the food! He does occasionally bring in a packet of biscuits but e.g I bought in a packet of ginger cookies, teacakes and some chocolate bars. About 30 snacks/treats in total which could’ve easily lasted 2/3 days but he just demolished them! The same with the fruit today; instead of one satsuma he’s had 5! As well as grapes and bananas and 3 mince pies. All before lunchtime.

I know it seems a bit of a non issue but I just find it greedy and it really puts me off bringing in treats for the rest of the team. I’m normally very abrupt and direct but I don’t want to embarrass him or the rest of the team or come across as mean. It’s been mentioned by others in the team too.

Would you say anything and if so, how would you say ‘stop being a woofer’ in a nice way!

What used to really annoy me in one job was the group of four women who considered any leftovers from sandwich lunches were theirs by right. They would sit with platters of sarnies and fruit stuffing their faces and saying they earned less than others so should have the lot.

One had spent months chatting up the staff from the toiletries firm who worked on the floor above. They left and brought down carriers of products they thought we would like. Grabby woman was not in so I took the carriers and thanked them, assured them they would be much appreciated by all. I arranged it all on the conference room table and worked out how much everyone could have, couple of samples and a full sized product. Grabby ones complied but with tight lips. The assistant director did not however and took handfuls home for his wife. It was a big success though and I was thanked by several senior staff for making it a fair thing for everyone.

It's a snack table not a food bank.

One place I worked in, people would bring in sweets from wherever they had been on holiday.

Every time, one of the partners would produce a poly bag and stuff it full to "take home for the children to taste".
"Ooohh! Little Kevin will love these!"
What a nerve!!

Once you start involving managers and 'quiet words' and leaving notes out, it stops being a nice thing and becomes just another office hassle.

Either tell him openly but in a friendly way, 'Save some for the others' or 'Save some for tomorrow' or do nothing and accept that he is going to eat more.

My old manager (prick) would never bring anything in and would happily help himself to any of the biscuits we had out. On a few occasions he took the whole packet to his desk to eat.
So we started hiding them in drawers. He had the cheek to complain there were no biscuits to eat. He was a total dickhead though.

I'd hate to work somewhere with a snack table, sorry. I put on weight very easily and am often following a healthy eating plan. Having tempting snacks constantly on display would drive me mad. I think it is pretty unfair to do this and expect others to contribute.

I know you are going to say that my lack of self control isn't your problem, but in a workplace it is appropriate to consider other people, including your colleague who clearly can't resist.

Isn't snacks in work proved to be a contributor to weight gain.

Some people struggle with self control and having nice treats staring at you all day is too much.

Stick to fruit. The sentiment is lovely but the reality of having unhealthy treats on tap isn't a good idea.

cushion it's not really fair to expect those who do have self control, to stick to bringing in fruit, just because some people can't regulate their food intake.

They're all adults. Each to their own.

If it’s a casual bring your own snacks in affair then just call it out. I used to call my old boss greedy all the time and it controlled him enough to limit his consumption.

3/4s of these suggestions sound like a first stop shop to an employment tribunal.

We have someone who proudly announces he’s eaten everything in the office, no shame at all 🤷🏻‍♀️

Woman who sits in eye view to him says he’s a bogey hunter and gobbler too

Oh, what a prince

Maybe tell him he's had his lunch and what's on the table is for the grown-ups?

Sorry but I think that constantly snacking throughout your entire your working day like this is a bit weird. Surely at a point it can make you become unproductive with excessive insulin spikes/carb crashes? Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s leaving the toilets a mess and is useless at his job! It would probably be a good idea to downsize the treat table and lay out some boundaries so he is clearly aware that it’s not free food that’s just for him - no excuse for him to do this then.

You definitely need to make more of a stand with this, even if it’s just ‘telling him to stop porking’ every time you catch him. I would mention this to your manager too, it’s her job to nip this in the bud.

It’s almost like he’s stealing food, but it’s not as it’s a shared treat table. Would getting rid of the treat table altogether and having personal snacks be the way forward? He loses the ‘invite to treat’ aspect, (and you can still share between your colleagues!). He would actually be stealing food then if he insists on helping himself, and can be disciplined accordingly by your manager

In one job I had the highlight of the week was Wednesday afternoon tea. This was an opportunity for all the staff to get together for a chat and relax. The favourite topic of conversation was childbirth for both men and women and there was an unwritten rule that all staff were expected to eat a large tube of Pringles each.

We took it in turns to provide the cakes/biscuits and snacks. It was up to you how much you spent, I always made cakes. Favoured staff if they couldn’t attend were saved a piece of homemade cake if they asked me. The ones I didn’t like were told go swivel.

Everyone was greedy!

Meant to suggest OP maybe once a week full on gorgeing session instead for all.

Writing passive aggressive post-it notes to your co-workers is a twatty thing.

I am a very clean creature but every time I go to the loo at work and see the prim notes lecturing me about skid marks and toilet brushes makes me want to do a dirty protest.

Who the fuck are these women who police other women's toilet habits?

I've rarely seen the women's loo in a bad state. Sometimes it doesn't flush and is pretty shitty but that that fault of the company's poor drainage system rather than the habits of the female workers.

I did once make the mistake of walking into the men's loo on the alternate floor and walked straight out again because of the pungency. It knocked me back.

We have a treat table at work .. the "fat table" .. we all buy snacks or have a kitty. I bought clementines today though ... loads of them left !!

I do like the ‘it’s a snack table not a food bank’ comment, I’ll use that one at next cheese club 😂 although I won’t be partaking due to bogey fingers 🤮

Theres severally ways of dealing with it.

The best is to stop counting. Give in a spirit of generosity and accept some each more and some eat less. If it’s a help yourself table, nobody has committed a crime and people can choose to donate or not.

The next option is to have an adult conversation. Fred you seem to eat huge amounts of the food people bring in and not consider others might want some. Please be more thoughtful.

Thirdly ask your manager to intervene - were it me I’d get rid of the table to stop you whinging and telling tales. Not conducive to good teamwork and constant snacking is unnecessary.

Why don't you all just bring your own food/snacks and then everyone can eat as much as they need to?

The snack table seems daft to me, but if you're going to have it it's rude to keep tabs.

Why do you bring so much food to the office? What's the point of it?

I understand that you like having a 'sharing table' but when it gets to the stage that you're keeping tabs that's really crass and perhaps it would be better just to stop it.

Sorry, just sounds really petty and unnecessary. You don't like this guy and it's starting to sound like ganging up and enjoying doing that with meaningful glances and gossiping in the office.

If you must bring food to the office then just dole it out perhaps? That way you can keep control. All sounds very childish and quite unpleasant actually.

x-posed with PeckhamPauline. I wouldn't want to be involved in this nonsense at all.

A bogey hunter Bleeuurgh.

This is one reason I never eat anything from a public bar or buffet.
The other is because men don't wash their hands when they've used the lav and have been handling their willies.
Then they scoop peanuts out of the dish generously put there by the landlord for the customers.
A barmaid gave me that advice many years ago, never to eat the peanuts at the bar.
No, No, No.

Urine mints!

I think you're options are to tell him directly, stop buying food or put up with it.

Passive aggression creates an unpleasant environment and isn't a managers job to mediate petty disputes not related to the work.

I don't see the need for a snack table. It is one thing someone bringing back something from holiday or for their birthday but if it is a daily arrangement, each person should just bring in what they eat.

It is unhealthy to snack everyday and this arrangement encourages greed. Not only do people want to get their money's worth but it also makes it harder for people to monitor how much they eat. I doubt that guy would go and buy a packet of mince pies and biscuits everyday for himself because it would make him face up to how fat he is being.

pee nuts