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.

@KittyKatty123
So what do you reckon your new breakfast will be then?

I can't eat first thing either so I have breakfast at work between 10 and 10.30 usually, but it's yoghurt and granola that literally does take 1 minute to prepare and that I can eat with one hand while filing / deleting emails with the other.

I think it probably is the smell rather than the time if you're taking in beans and eggs. In our tiny office lots of us eat lunch at our desks (we're allowed to browse the Fail online showbiz section do personal admin at our work stations during breaks) but certain foods are frowned upon. We still talk about the Woman who used to bring in haddock to microwave.

@Yayaga I'm feeling very anxious about the prospect of any breakfast now! I will probably wait till lunch and take an early lunch well away from my desk!

@KittyKatty123

Thank you all for all your comments, it genuinely never entered my head that the smell might be the issue or that it might be off-putting to others so this has been very enlightening. I will take all your points and suggestions on board.

I find that a bit astonishing actually.

Why not try a cereal bar? Huel also do bars that are entire meals, just in a snack bar form.

I think it’s really really unlikely that you’re not taking the piss.

Working for a hour then cooking and eating a meal whilst pretending to concentrate? How many other ‘VDU breaks’ are you taking a day?

Why not time how much time you actually spend with your bottom on a chair genuinely working productively…..

@TableFlowerss

I notice a lot of people saying it will be due to the smell (egg and beans probably don’t small amazing) so that’s a fair point, but surely a lot of food that you cook/heat in microwave smells?

Eggs and fish are the only things that stink out the staff room to me. Can't stand the smell of eggs!

i cant believe you thought it normal to start cooking beans and egg in the middle of work and then eating at your desk like its a cafe

Just eat breakfast and the lunch at normal times?

I really dislike beans and the smell of bean juice turns my stomach,

We have all seen folks eating stuff at their desk but in my thirty odd years of working in various offices I’ve never seen one employee who makes them selves a cooked breakfast mid morning every day then sits and eats it at their desk.

I mean, no one does that.

@gofg

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

Wow! My office jobs have had two paid 10 minute breaks for morning/afternoon tea, and an unpaid hour for lunch! I have had labouring jobs with 30 minute lunch breaks, but we've always had the mid morning and afternoon breaks as well. Only one break per day is shocking!

I get 15 mins in the am and 15 pm (paid) then 30 mins unpaid for lunch Probably because we are heavy computer users, as in I'm on a screen for 8.5hrs continuously

are you a clattering your cutlery and making lots of noise ?

This might be annoying to some mid morning....

I can see their point to be fair. There is definitely a big difference in nipping over to make a quick coffee or tea and nibbling on some breakfast biscuits/cereal bar/fruit and microwaving scrambled egg and making toast. I think if you're happy enough with cold I'd stick to that, or split your breaks. We have the same issue with smokers thinking its OK to nip out for a smoke - you can split up your break but you can't give yourself extra ones. Same for everyone expect those with genuine medical needs.

I tend to think this is about the smell of the food too. Could you get a food flask and take in porridge, if you heat the flask up first it should keep the porridge hot for a couple of hours. Or just have cold cereals or yoghurt and fruit at your desk.

I've never had an employer who would have objected to this. We've always been allowed/expected to eat hot meals and snacks at our desks. Meals have included curries, and fish and chips. We've also had a canteen that served and delivered hot bacon butties in the mornings.

I hadn't realised that other places were less accommodating!

I used to sit opposite a guy who had huge hot dinners at his desk every day, usually left overs from the night before, think plated up roast dinners, lasagne, beef stew, curries. The fork scraping and smells were horrendous but the absolute WORST thing was how he ALWAYS left his dirty plates at the side of his desk all afternoon until he left drying and stinking.
Approaching his desk to speak to him or work with him made me heave, over his dirty dishes.
Ugh.

Overnight oats in a flask is a good portable breakfast

Beans and eggs smell. I would bet one or more of your colleagues have complained about the smell. I’ve always worked in an office and i wouldn’t mind if my colleague ate a sandwich or something similar at their desk for breakfast but it would annoy me if it was beans or eggs because smells linger. I also think eating beans or eggs on toast for breakfast at work is just too much and unnecessary.

As a footnote I’ve worked in several offices that have a zero food at desk policy because they have a kitchen.

I agree with you, OP. I generally make something to eat at my desk mid-morning, but I also never take my full lunch break so I guess they could think it evens out.

I quite like batch cooking egg muffins which are nice eaten cold.

I fry off some veggies - peas, carrots, mushrooms or whatever you like, shred some ham, mix some eggs in and pour them into muffin tins and bake. They last 3 days in the fridge and I take 3 of these (equivalent to 2 eggs) for breakfast if I know I won't have access to a microwave.

I find threads about ‘breaks’ in office jobs very strange because I’ve never had an office job where strict hours mattered. On paper there would be an hour for lunch and a couple of tea breaks but in reality, I’ve always just had work to do and as long as I get it done and don’t completely take the piss, nobody would ever quibble about how long I spent making a cup of tea or whatever. I even had a job once where a group of us would take an extra long lunch to go to a circuits class at the nearby gym a couple of times a week, and nobody cared as long as we stayed a bit later in the evenings (which most people did anyway). I’d much prefer an employee who treats me like an adult and trusts me to manage my time than one who stresses over how long my breakfast takes.

That said, I have to agree with others that I’d find it odd and a bit off-putting if someone was scrambling eggs and making beans on toast mid-morning, then eating them in the office. It’s just not really the done thing and yes, the smell of cooking eggs in particular is likely to bother people!

I sympathise as someone who also prefers to eat breakfast mid-morning but I think there are plenty of cold options out there you could prepare at home. If you want eggs, maybe a cold frittata/Spanish omelette type thing? Or breakfast muffins, Bircher muesli, that kind of thing.

I'm amazed at the amount of people saying 'cook it at home and take it in a flask'

Hot egg and beans in a flask? Together!?! Really!?!

Plus, as soon as you crack open that flask, that's going to stink too, surely?

YABU

It really is a bit weird eating microwaved beans and eggs at your desk.

Especially everyday.

Urgh the smell. Your poor colleagues

How can you not get how wrong this is OP

I had no idea that so many people were so averse to being able to smell food. Or think that things like cereal bars and yogurt are a substitute for an actual meal.

Mind you, I hate the smell of salad too. It just smells all......salady.

@GlitterSquid

I'm amazed at the amount of people saying 'cook it at home and take it in a flask'

Hot egg and beans in a flask? Together!?! Really!?!

Plus, as soon as you crack open that flask, that's going to stink too, surely?

She takes beans OR eggs.

But you're right. Eggs in a flask would be terrible.

A toasted sandwich with something non offensive in it is the best bet. Or a porridge pot.