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.

Omg is this even a thing ? Eating breakfast at work when you work normal hours !!!! Surely you eat breakfast before coming to work or you don’t eat breakfast ( a cereal bar not a problem ) next will you be eating a fully lunch of hot food at the desk . Yabu

I used to work with a woman who drank some sort of blackcurrant tea. It smelled of unneutered cat wee. It gave me a headache. Be considerate of other workers.

All my team eat breakfast at our desk. No one bats an eyelid. How sad some people think we should behave like robots at work - never taking your eye off the screen or having any breathing space. There's nowhere else to go for lunch either so loads of people have hot food in an open plan office. People just get on with it. Best to fit in with your new office norms but you'd fit right in if you worked with me

Does the employer provide sit down space in the kitchen ? if so use it and trim your lunch break down, and tell them this is what you will do.
if no sit down space provided to eat away from your desk, and no staff canteen anywhere in the building, then where do people eat ? if they go off site to buy food and bring it back ( mobile lunch van- hot food) and eat at desks then your employer is being unreasonable. makes no difference when in the day food smells happen.
My staff had use of a small table in a separate office to eat, which was unused till we got a new staff member, so now they eat at desks but we are small team so it is give and take with us. I wish there was a better place for them. They only take a half hour for lunch and go essentially a half hour earlier. (set hours agreed at interview but they will stay longer if a problem has arisen just at finish time, I value them greatly for this)

Eating hot food at your desk is vile.

You are an adult organise yourself and eat breakfast at home or before work. You do not need a break after working 2 hours at a none physical job.

Summerdayshaze*
I agree! I often bring in a Mcdonalds double sausage and egg muffin meal to eat at my desk when I get to work. It only takes me a few minutes to eat at my desk and doesn’t stop me taking the morning register or reading out form announcements in between mouthfuls.I can multitask! I don’t see the problem! 😆

When I was pregnant I would have violently vomited if a colleague of mine was inconsiderate enough to do what you're doing OP.

@Yayaga

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

A cereal bar is not breakfast. This is such a disordered eating idea imo that a high protein warm breakfast like the OP is having can be replaced with a bar.

@hotmeatymilk

Hot food in a workplace just isn't on. It belongs in a kitchen or canteen.

That's that.
That’s not really that, because I’ve worked in dozens of places and everyone ate delicious fucking food and didn’t have weird “cold meals only” rules. Suspect it’s a workplace rule for the MN lick-the-capitalist-boot-on-my-neck crowd, who can’t cope with any job that isn’t horrible.

Having worked in local government all of my adult life eating cooked breakfasts at work would not be accepted. Why you ask? because members of the public i.e. people like us who are commenting on here, phone all day and expect to have their calls taken and have their many questions answered. Consequently, we were given stats on a regular basis to show how many missed calls we had and how quickly we answered the phones. I logged in the minute I got to the office and the phones would just start ringing, even before 8 a.m. I would have messages left on my phone. So, no hot breakfast for me at the office, I managed to eat before I left the house and got through to lunch at midday or 1 p.m. And then I only had 30 minutes.

I had a colleague who used to cook herself porridge and a very morning and really take her time to eat it. I think it causes bad feeling to other colleagues. The smell of food when other people arent eating is an etiquette thing. It’s not pleasant. But also you appear to be taking an extra break that other people aren’t and that pisses people off. I remember the lady who would eat porridge always acted like it was her sacred right and it was kind of annoying. We all worked hard, we all deserved our lunch breaks. It felt like she took the piss.

YABU n way does this just take 5mins, to cook and how could you eat it while working? Have breakfast before work.

Jesus. I’m glad I don’t work where you do OP. Can’t believe so many people are so petty.

I’d go with the porridge pot. Nice fling breakfast, no microvave or toaster requirement and you can carry it to your desk with your brew. Everyone’s happy.

Or do what most people do and eat before work.

YABU - you start at 9am - so do the above

I agree with most people here, it's probably not the fact your heating food up, I'd imagine it's the smell. The smell of eggs/beans can be enough to make some people feel queasy.

@Jengnr

Jesus. I’m glad I don’t work where you do OP. Can’t believe so many people are so petty.

I’d go with the porridge pot. Nice fling breakfast, no microvave or toaster requirement and you can carry it to your desk with your brew. Everyone’s happy.

This!!

Sooo many of them with op manager & colleagues thinking have also turned up to this thread smh

@DizzySquirrel90

I agree with most people here, it's probably not the fact your heating food up, I'd imagine it's the smell. The smell of eggs/beans can be enough to make some people feel queasy.

Also, if you didn't work at a desk, where would you eat breakfast 'mid shift'. Ideally you should have eaten before your arrive to work. Sorry.

If it's a case of no time or 'too early' for your body to eat, get up earlier.

If it's a case of stopping yourself getting the mid morning munchies, breakfast at 8am and a banana/fruit at 10:30/11.

One of my colleagues at my old job used to hear up scrambled eggs for breakfast and salmon for lunch

This is why I don’t like working in an office. Being micromanaged like a small child. As long as all of your work is completed what does it matter what breaks you take or how long! Surely Covid and WFH has shown that people managing their own time is absolutely ok. If you have an extra half hour in the morning to sit away from your desk and eat then why does that matter? I’d suggest you start trying to find a new job where you can work from home or have flexible colleagues. Life’s too short for this level of micromanaging

This is why I hate open plan offices! Other people's stinky food!

The smell of your food must be quite an imposition on others.

Sitting at a computer 9 to 5 is stressful enough without having to be subject to this degree of micro-managing and pettiness.

I bet all the smokers are outside for at least 20 minutes every 2 hours.

There are plenty of other jobs around at the moment. I'd find another one where you're not being treated like a naughty child and tell them to stick it.

I agree with pp it is most likely a smell issue. If you must have a warm breakfast why not take something less offensive than eggs such as porridge?

@sillysmiles
Your job clearly doesnt involve reading comprehension, does it? I said Huel does bars that are whole meals. WHOLE MEALS. In bars.
If you think that is a disordered approach to eating in the workplace I can only imagine you are one of the people like the OP fannying around frying bacon at 9am.

@StormyTeacups

I think a full hot breakfast is pushing it, you may take it back to your desk but presumably you aren't fully working while eating with a knife and fork?

Maybe take a yogurt, or cereal. Or do what most people do and eat before work.

Most people don’t eat before work.