Employer says I am not allowed to heat up my breakfast

[KittyKatty123]

I work full time, 9-5, computer facing all day, work that requires a lot of concentration. I understand the important of taking regular breaks to get away from the screen but don't take the mickey with this. I can't eat first thing in the morning so I have always eaten mid-morning, at my desk, sometimes something cold, sometimes something that needs a minute or two in the staff microwave.

Past employers have never had an issue with this.

I'm fairly new to this job but in the past two months that others have observed me doing this, including my line manager, no-one has ever raised it as an issue. We have access to a microwave and toaster so sometimes I'll bring in a tub of beans, or eggs that I've already put in a bowl and whisked at home so it takes 2 minutes in the microwave to heat them, sometimes I'll do some toast at the same time. All during the space of time it takes me to make my first cup of tea of the day - which is taken after having already put in 1-2 hours work since I got in that morning.

All of a sudden my line manager took me aside and said "it had been noticed" that I was heating up my breakfast and that I was no longer to do this as it was in work time, that the microwave and toaster were only for lunch breaks, unless I decided to split my break over both. This seems ridiculous to me as it takes max 5 minutes and I then bring it back to eat at my desk whilst working. I have seen colleagues gone for much much longer than this if they get into social conversation with colleagues.

Also, this instruction was directed only to me, not as a general "heads up" to the team or department as a whole, so it very personal.

In my mind, from an occupational health point of view, it is very important to take regular breaks throughout the day from VDU work, to make tea, go to the loo, chat with a colleague etc, so why is heating up food whilst making my tea any different.

Am I being unreasonable here? Do others do this at work with no issue? As I said, past employers have never had issue with it and I don't take the piss with it. Thank you.

Eggs stink.,..end of

Do you go back to the kitchen to wash up your plate or do you just leave it on the side? It all adds up.

@rrhuth

What if all colleagues did this? Amy has a breakfast break during paid time and Jenny likes to pop out for a five minute walk and Leanne has to have her three pm crumpets and tea and Helen steps out for a few minutes to FaceTime her kids at 4pm.

Plenty of successful workplaces are like this tbh. Especially environments where people work very hard, or very long hours.

I completely agree - but that doesn't sound like this kind of workplace. Not every workplace can run effectively with the same flexibility.

This sounds more like a 9-5pm workplace where you arrive and finish on time, and you only get prescribed breaks. OP is basically wangling herself an extra paid breakfast break.

Like others have said - what if everyone wants a breakfast break and there's not enough people manning the phones because they've all pissed off to do themselves a cooked breakfast? The manager has given her the option of having a split break which seems really accommodating.

There are lots of workplaces which rely on output and productivity and need sufficient bums on seats during core hours to get the work done/answer calls etc. If everyone follows OP's example and wafts in and out it could cause problems. That's not the case in all types of working environments.

Theres a lady at our office who makes her entire breakfast, she turns up 30 mins early to do it.

But kitchen is seperate to main office.

I think you might be making more of a fuss than you think you are, and beans are very stinky.

The smell is probably quite unpleasant to others and I'm wondering how you can fully perform your job whilst juggling toast and a bowlful of microwaved eggs (unless you are actually having a fully plated meal)? Although you think you're working at the same pace, I imagine your colleagues have different ideas. Can't you take hard boiled eggs?

I have visions of you whipping up a Hollandaise sauce over the kettle OP!
At my work (university) there used to be a permanent stream of people making and eating porridge, soups etc, warming ready meals in the microwave - no one cared at all. The toaster was removed because of smoke alarms though.
It sounds like you would be better suited to a different work environment.

If a microwave has been provided then surely the company expect employees to heat food up.
For those who say it's the smell, do hot lunches not smell too!
I would carry on as before but ensure that the "cooking time" is deducted from my lunch breaks as to give no further need for discussion.
In the meantime refer to your contract to see exactly where you stand so the next time it is mentioned you are on a good footing to make your point.
As a matter of interest how is breaktime calculated for the smokers in the office? In my experience smokers don't work back their breaks and take over 30mins a day 2.5hrs a week extra if only having 3x10min daily breaks.

Why can’t you eat breakfast at home?

If there's a lunch room separate from the work area, with a door that keeps smells and general eating noises from disturbing people who are working, and a sink and dishwasher to clean plates and cutlery, then YABU to heat up food and eat your hot meals at your desk. Maybe this is the issue - smell, noise, time spent cleaning up afterwards?

Ops not come back

I always took my morning 10 minutes away from my desk.
I don't think it is okay to eat while others are working.

Recommend you Go back to your boss & arrange that you'll Split your lunch break 15 mins at 10.30am and rest at lunchtime (1pm or so) Go and eat your cooked breakfast away from your desk where people eat their lunches

Don't pretend you're working whilst eating a hot meal (breakfast or lunch) as you aren't, you're pottering and eating. You can't answer a phone like that , chewing with a mouthful. It's gross to watch too.

It's not professional. It looks sloppy infront of a laptop or whatever work station it is and it stinks out the office if you're eating cooked eggs. (...Honestly you'll be wearing slippers in the office next... an office isn't your living room.... )

Im not surprised your manager had a word with you. You haven't 'read the room' at your new workplace

He had given you a reasonable option to split with lunch break. Maybe you could suggest you start 10 minutes early to allow a 10 minute breakfast a bit later.

Split lunch or get some instant porridge you can do with a kettle

@vincettenoir

I don’t doubt she does. I’m just pointing out how ridiculous it is to consider that everyone works solidly for 8 hours a day at their desk so taking the odd phone call or heating some beans is really such an injustice to the rest of the dedicated hard-pressed workers.

Aside from the smell and noise of someone eating a cooked breakfast, its the frequency that's a piss take and I would say the same if Peter went off everyday at 10:30am to chat to Sheila on reception for 15 minutes. An occasional cooked breakfast, is ok and tolerable, but it would turn into 'oh its 10:30am it must be eggs, beans and toast time for KittyKatty123' groan around week 2 of it. It is a work place, not a cafe. I'd find it really distracting listening to the op clunking away with cutlery and being able to smell eggs and beans everyday. It would also get on my tits if they were not pulling their weight why they were enjoying their breakfast i.e. answering phones.

It is quite disgusting eating such food at a work desk.

Change your habits and have breakfast at home like everyone else!

Don't you have morning/afternoon tea breaks in the UK?

Well if course your employers are taking issue at the fact you're heating up and eating your breakfast on work time. Split the time over a break and lunch, it sounds like you're having your cooked breakfast and then taking your full lunch break. I'm not sure what employer would pay you for this tbh.

@gofg

Don't you have morning/afternoon tea breaks in the UK?

Most jobs have one 20-30 minute break per day, often unpaid.

So weird that you haven’t considered the smell. If someone was cooking eggs then eating them next to me mid morning I’d be fuming, it’s rank

I think YABU.

I can't eat first thing either.

I have my own office so in theory could do what I like in there.

But in practice I arrive 15 mins before my start time, boil the kettle and make instant porridge which I eat while gawping at emails before my client appointments begin.

No one is saying you can't eat breakfast, you just can't cook breakfast at work and that seems reasonable.

Eggs smell

What about one of those thermal food flasks which would keep your breakfast warm although I suspect the issue is the smell of the food.

OMG I would hate to be trying to work next to someone stinking the office out with eggs etc mid morning!!!!