About breakfast at work

[WishingILivedOnAnIsland]

Every day without fail one of our senior administrators comes in on time, gets herself settled, then spends 10 minutes in the kitchen constructing a complicated bowlful of breakfast. She takes the bowl to her desk and slowly eats in the open plan office until around 9:30am. She then signals the start of her work day by returning her bowl to the kitchen. Anyone who approaches her regarding work prior to The Bowl’s Return is met with a withering look and an ‘excuse me I am eating my breakfast’ as though they’ve walked into her own kitchen out of hours and demanded a favour.

I’m her manager and I’m starting to get complaints. Both about her commandeering an additional 30 odd minutes break, and also about the tart rebuke she gives anyone who dares interrupt her morning ritual.

Here’s the thing- I don’t really care that she does this as in every other way she is a sensational employee. She is a proud set-in-her-ways kind of person and wont respond well to negative feedback. It would be a disaster if she quit and we had to replace her with a mediocre employee whose only advantage is that they eat their breakfast at home.

So AIBU to let this breakfast nonsense play on? My colleagues seem to think so and are salty with me for my inaction thus far.

I was always the 'good girl' in the office. I used to gasp in amazement at some of the behaviour colleagues were getting away with. Weren't they bothered about being 'pulled up'?

I realise now that that most people who behave like this are well aware of what they are doing and already have their response ready should their behaviour be complained about. That response usually entails the different number of ways everyone else takes the P - and they will have watched everyone closely and logged their behaviour for that very purpose.

Clearly this CF is allowed preferential treatment because you think the sun shines out her arse. You’ve had complaints so deal with them or maybe the office should start work at 9.30 which would probably result in CF eating until 10.

The colleagues should accept that she actually starts at 9:30 and keep their noses out. They sound jealous and petty.

What if they all decided they were going to do that? They were all going to turn up at 9am, and spend half an hour making/eating breakfast and refusing to work/answer phones/answer e-mails?

Would that be okay? If not, why is it okay for this lady to do it?

Agree with others saying it’s the rudeness to others that you need to manage. Tell her you’ve had complaints and she can’t be nasty to people just because she’s eating food.

Also I have worked with 30 Minute Shitting Man - he used to take the paper in with him. Again, a genius employee though in all other ways.

It’s a tough one!

one man took a 30 minute shit every morning at 10.30am

I once knew a contractor who kept a spreadsheet of how much his various employers had paid him to poo over the years.

I think this is a fundamental difference in how some jobs work. I'm a programmer. I run a team. If that team has to wait 1/2 hour for an answer because I'm doing something else (as long as it's not a live issue) that isn't a problem - and it doesn't matter if that 1/2 hour is because I'm at lunch, or in a meeting, or have popped to boots. If another dev goes to the gym at lunch for 2 hours, but gets their job done, attends meetings that they need to, responds to emergency situations, then yes, I can see that other members of the team might be annoyed by that, but in return, they, too, can enjoy some flexibility as long as their work is done. If anyone is taking the piss, and not doing their work, then it's different.

I think that if you've got a good relationship with the team, you can point out that this is an advantage of your team - that you'll treat them like adults. And then also have a word with this one, about it, about perhaps being a little less abrupt if someone talks to them while they're eating.

I think you're getting a somewhat hard time on here OP.

As a manager you're required to optimise the performance of the team as a whole.

However, what on face value might seem a straight forward issue to resolve can often create a significant ripple effect.

On an individual level it would seem that her overall performance outweighs the negative impact on her breakfast ritual.

However, the wider consequence of that is her impacting the morale and efficiency of other team members by refusing to engage in her work responsibilities until her "ritual" is complete.

Whilst it's right to consider the knock on consequences of approaching her wrt opening a can of worms re: x person calling home ever hour or y person spending an inordinate time in the bathroom, I don't think that can be justification for not addressing the issue she is creating.

Rather, these are totally separate concerns that may/may not be legitimate that you need to address in addition to this specific employees behaviour - as opposed to letting sleeping dogs lie. If she raises such issues, then you simply say you'll look into them but it's not relevant to the discussion you are having about her behaviour.

The fact she doesn't respond well to criticism is an issue in itself. Being good at your job isn't solely about doing it well in isolation.

You're not a good employee if you are negatively impacting the productivity and morale of the rest of the team and this is the element I think your missing when considering your course of action. This isn't a case of giving a good employee some leeway, rather it's addressing the behaviour of an employee whose behaviour is poor.

You need to speak with her privately and make clear that she needs to come in 30 mins earlier if she wants to continue her breakfast ritual or otherwise knock it on the head.

Please do not send an office wide email on the subject. Everyone will know who it's aimed at and that's just akin to a public shaming.

The colleagues should accept that she actually starts at 9:30 and keep their noses out. They sound jealous and petty
.
No they shouldn't. Her day starts at 9am like the rest of them. They sound frustrated and fed up with someone being allowed to take the piss every day.

Of course you'd be happy for your office and team to be off grid totally between 9.00 and 9.30, OP.

Her pre-breakfast morning grumpiness is just such a part of the furniture to me that I overlooked how it would feel to others, and that's a fault on my part.

Yes, it is. You are not just her manager the rest of the team are equally deserving of respect and consideration, which is why I used the term fan-girling you seem totally blinded by your adoration for this one employee over and above anyone else.

Interview question for managerial role:

Q. How would you deal with a member of your team taking their breakfast in first half hour of the working day and making themselves unavailable for work, however very strong in all other areas?

A. Go on mumsnet and set up a thread asking for guidance

Oh.

What if they all decided they were going to do that? They were all going to turn up at 9am, and spend half an hour making/eating breakfast and refusing to work/answer phones/answer e-mails? Would that be okay? If not, why is it okay for this lady to do it?

Because despite starting at the correct time, at least some of these employees apparently can't finish their own work in a timely manner and the breakfast-eating employee picks up their slack.

If her day starts at 9.30am.

Then does she stay half an hour later than the rest of get paid for 2.5 hours less a week?

What merryoldgoat said. Perfect.

I'd say..

Mary. You are doing a fab job with the blah project. Clients are speaking v highly of you. Thank you. How are you finding work atm?

Then...
Could I ask a favour? I have no problem with you eating breakfast when you arrive. We are adults. Eat when you like. However as the work day does start at 9 I could do with you being on hand to answer any queries from colleagues during that time.

Of course depends on where you work, the culture etc

And love the fact that whilst employee in question is having her brekkie

Her manager, the OP, is posting prolifically on mumsnet!

She trains juniors, her written work is flawless, she understands the business and the clients, she finishes her own work like a machine and then looks around to see where she can pitch in with other people's work. She has made improvements to our processes that save time and money. In an emergency she is there, working overtime without complaint. She is popular with and valued by the whole team not just me. I just don't see the point in nit-picking someone who goes above and beyond in so many ways over one eccentricity.

^

So don't nit pick.

Unless she switches the cereal for kippers, of course.

Also, maybe just have a think about whether she’s often slightly grumpy to or dismissive of her colleagues more frequently than just the breakfast thing... because usually you get complaints about the issue that has tipped people over the edge, rather than the whole picture.

does she stay half an hour later than the rest of get paid for 2.5 hours less a week?

No, because she is a salaried employee, not a shift worker at McDonald's.

I'm happy to allow every employee to manage their own time as long as the work gets done.

If she is such an incredible employee and the above is true for everyone, then what on earth are you complaining about?! If it's her rudeness, that's a separate matter and should be firmly addressed. If it's other employees whinging - emphatically point out the above to them and let them know that the alternative is presentee-ism and strict working hours.

My boss has had to send out emails specifying that any hot drinks etc have to be made before 8.30 so that we are ready to start actual work at 8.30 (our start time).

Fuck me this is depressing. This is just the kind of 'total control' approach that sends all the really great employees off to work for someone else. It is a great way to degrade the success and performance of a team.

I used to eat at work, whilst working. It wasn’t down time. Maybe say that - it’s fine as long as you are actually working? But it’s perfectly reasonable to say people are complaining that she doesn’t start work til 930am and it’s not fair on everyone else.

If OP does feel it necessary to mention the rudeness, the breakfast issue does not even need to be raised. OP just needs to tell the employee that colleagues have reported rudeness and being told to go away when approaching the breakfast-eater with work-related matters.

My organisation put a stop to this, as everyone started doing it. The rule was if you ate breakfast on arrival, you had to deduct it from your flexi sheet. As no one was doing this, there is now a rule that you cannot do it at all. This then had a knock on effect with our smokers, who would also nip out for 10 mins once an hour for a fag break. That was nipped too.

The way the OP describes the ritual and admits that this woman is rude to other team members and then says "I don't care that she does this" summed it up. That's why many of us were so vociferous about her being a poor manager. A good manager WOULD care that an employee is rude to other team members who were simply asking her about work during working hours, no matter how good that employee was with her actual work. I'm glad to see the OP has realised she does need to say something about this, even if she has no issue with the free half hour.

I’m guessing that the vast majority of people posting on this thread are at work, including those who think you should be working every second of your contracted time ...

I realise now that that most people who behave like this are well aware of what they are doing and already have their response ready should their behaviour be complained about. That response usually entails the different number of ways everyone else takes the P - and they will have watched everyone closely and logged their behaviour for that very purpose

I think this highlights just how impossible it is to do anything about it without screwing everyone over.

I think a degree of flexibility is vital . Being able to leave 20 mins early to go see your kids xmas play, or coming in late occasionally so you can take your kid to the drs. Or it takes 15 mins to talk your elderly mother through chaving the time on her heating. Obviously occasionally buses or trains are late or a bad accident holds up traffic etc and most people can manage their time or their work well enough that it doesnt make a difference. But piss takers will find a way to take the piss, extra long cigarette breaks or walking a bit slow to/back from meetings and spend just that bit longer chatting to colleagues when visiting other departments for work related stuff.

I have no idea how you can stop one without screwing over the other...