To think it’s unreasonable not to have a kitchen at work.

[Jessiesmilkshake]

Just that really. Where I work ( office/reception) there is no kitchen facilities eg fridge or kettle. I like my job but it’s a massive pain the arse that I can’t make a cup of tea in the morning or put food in a fridge or use microwave something warm.

AIBU?

@Ifailed

You don't need to PAT test new stuff so it wouldn't be a requirement immediately.

That's down to the employer to decide. The assumption is that new stuff is fit for purpose - try telling that to the owners of Hotpoint tumble dryers.

OP has still not explained why she wants a kitchen at work - so far people have mentioned access to a kettle and a fridge, hardly a kitchen.

It can’t be that difficult to work out surely?

You know what a kettle and a fridge do? Ergo it can’t be hard to work out?

Oh and in my last job we had a fridge, kettle, toaster and microwave. We still referred to the area in which these items were located as “the kitchen”

www.ikea.com/gb/en/cat/sunnersta-kitchens-48985/

Under £300 should be able to kit it out inc microwave.

As a pp has said, not everyone works in a town/city that has take-away options nearby. Some people on MN really don't seem able to imagine life outside their own densely populated corner of the UK.

Is there any space for these things? We're NHS and we raise funds for our fridges, kettle and microwaves and we have a kitchen space to put these in.

By raising funds I mean we put a collection together with all the staff and bought them.

I used to work in a shop as a student in a shopping centre, almost none of the shops had break facilities, there was no space, you were expected to sit on a bench outside or use the food court and only on set breaks. Where I work now we do have a hot water boiler thing but the other manager and I bought the team a toaster, microwave and toastie maker from our own pockets, that's public sector and we have around fifty staff. We do have a fridge now though.

Just take a flask of tea/coffee and a cool bag.

We don't have room for a kitchen in some of our off site buildings BUT we have a fridge shoved in a corner of the room and put a kettle and toaster or microwave on top. We use a jug that we fill from the bathroom (drinking water) tap and put that in the kettle.

That sounds miserable @sherrystrull. One of the first things our school did was find spare little rooms that weren't being used at the mo and turn them into bubble staffrooms. So one thing we're not short of is kettles thank God!

It pretty is! Our school have created a couple of little areas but as we have every classroom in use with key workers we're pretty stuck! There's too many of us to use these small areas

I have a kettle on the filing cabinet. Never had a fridge or microwave

It is a pain but I don't think it's all that unusual. I worked for years for a big company in a huge building. There were no kitchen facilities because you were expected to buy food and drinks from the staff canteen. It was good that this was an option but it did work out very expensive.

My DP works for a world wide famous company employing thousands of staff across the uk and world wide. They don’t have any kitchens or fridges! They have a water cooler and a coffee machine that costs 60p a time for a coffee. They have to eat at the their desks as there isn’t any employee seating areas away from their desks I think it’s absolutely shocking, I’ve worked at loads of places in different sectors and everywhere I’ve worked has had a kitchen with an fridge/microwave in!

@BikeRunSki

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 say

^What arrangements should I make for meal breaks?
There should be a suitable seating area for workers to use during breaks _ it needs to be clean and located where food will not get contaminated.
There should be washing facilities nearby, and a means of heating food or water for hot drinks. You must maintain good hygiene standards^

HSE summary document here

That's advisory. This is what they must do: Employers must provide welfare facilities and a working environment that's healthy and safe for everyone in the workplace, including those with disabilities. You must have: welfare facilities – the right number of toilets and washbasins, drinking water and having somewhere to rest and eat meals. Microwave, fridge, kettle are not a must.

I'd not be pleased to work somewhere with no kettle. Not having a microwave is inconvenient, but not unreasonable.

There would have been an absolute riot if my old team weren't able to have a cuppa.

Every hour, on the hour someone made a brew. I miss a hot cup of tea arriving on my desk.

the only running water is in the bathroom so I’d have to fill the kettle up in there. We are supplied with free bottled water

Read that again

In many places, on government advice, communal kitchens have been closed anyway. Too many different mitts on the kettle handle, and so on.

When I am in (which is not often) I either go without, or get a takeaway from a local cafe.

Is there a a sink (not one in the toilet cubicle)? If not, then how will mugs etc get washed up?

I think YABU to expect kitchen facilities but I think most people would appreciate something. I suppose you need to get a big efficient thermos if you want a hot drink during the day and a cool bag if you want a cold lunch.

It sounds like a really tiny set up - how many of you work there?

If there’s nowhere to wash up then I’m not surprised there’s no microwave etc. But equally I cannot fathom an office without hot drinks - are there never clients in?

Lots of places have had to close the communal kitchen. Think you are being slightly U here, given how you've described the workplace.

The kitchens at our office are open. There are disposable gloves to use, hand sanitiser, anti-bac wipes and signs asking people to wipe down the kettle, taps, drawer and door handles etc.

There hasn't been a single case of Covid among staff that has been traced back to the workplace.

I think not even being able to get a hot drink is dreadful, and I've yet to find a flask that keeps drinks hot for several hours.

I’ve spoken to the owner and they are going to put a thin breakfast bar in the ‘stock room/cleaning room’ so a kettle can go on and a small fridge. Its not ideal though as that’s where the electrics and they are not in a cupboard, it’s a bit of a squeeze!

I worked in a couple of places that didn't have kitchens. I think it was because they had canteens/coffee bars and wanted to force people to use them especially as they were run by outside contractors who obviously wanted to make a profit.

I agree it's not really on, you should have access to cold and hot water for drinks as a minimum.

It sounds very unreasonable to me. Unless everybody works just half days, where are they supposed to keep their lunches? Plus tea/coffee of course.