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.

@SoupDragon

Eggs don't really smell of anything

They smell of egg! 😂

Which smells of fart!!!

Sorry, but it does!

Can I suggest you maybe buy a flask like bowl and take it hot to work , they keep your food hot quite a few hours .
Or can you get 5 m if your main break or 10 and eat away from your desk maybe ?
I know you must be upset by it and I would be too but just trying to suggest something as in a whole it’s not worthy of a issue at work . Good luck

That is harsh, I worked in a similar role, we were allowed 2 15 minutes breaks, 1 in the morning in the afternoon. Or this is what I tried, to break up the day, then a 30 minute break.
I did heat up food, but only on my dinner, I don't see the problem, if it only takes the time to make a cup of tea. I also ate at my desk as the staff room was freezing and smelt bad.

You can get thermos food pots and boxes. Make it at home and take it in. Works for me great

@SliceOfCakeCupOfTea

I used to have a colleague who did this and it pissed me off to no end. While she was stirring up her porridge and blowing it to cool it down, she couldnt properly perform tasks. She could only type with one hand, often couldn't answer the phone as she was chewing. It would take her longer to so a simple email or input some data while she was eating than it would normally, and while this was only for 10-15 minutes per day, it was every day and very annoying.

Also microwave eggs stink.

Yes! I worked with a woman who managed a whole 2 days a week and then spent 30 minutes of her 6 hours messing about with porridge and then when she’d finished that would manage to make her next job making a cuppa for the entire team because she couldn’t possibly do that whilst making or cooling her porridge. Another 20 minutes fannying around 🤬

It takes the piss tbh. Cold food okay.

Scrambled egg doesn't smell of much at all. Hard boiled eggs do smell a bit farty, but so what. It's what eggs smell like.

Not at all influenced by this thread, I had an omelette (so scrambled egg, but less washing up) beans and potato waffles for breakfast, at home I hasten to add and I had a good sniff, and apart from a general light 'warm food' smell, there was nothing at all offensive about it.

If I were you I'd eat it before work 5 minutes before you start away from your desk. Probably eating breakfast on the job creates an impression that you're not ready for work when you get there - that you got up too late to have breakfast and that you're not 100% focused on your work. Getting breakfast and then eating it at your desk is different from popping to the loo or making tea. Also the smell of food that early in the morning might bother some people. That said, it doesn't sound like a very relaxed office but I guess you have to go along with the ethos of the place.

I do think when people spend a good chunk of their day avoiding work, they probably just really hate their jobs.

@safariboot

Hot food in offices is often unpopular because of smells. Eating that sort of stuff in front of your computer also risks spills. I don't think they have to provide a microwave at all if they don't want to.

Those two things are irrelevant because neither of them are part of the justification her line manager gave. (I do agree about the smell of beans and eggs).

As your line manager took you aside and said "it had been noticed" that you were heating up your breakfast and you were no longer to do this as it was in work time, that the microwave and toaster were only for lunch breaks then I would bring scrambled eggs and beans in a food flask just to piss em off. If it's the smell then manager should have said.

I understand what you are saying, I can't eat first thing in the morning either. But why is there a problem with cereal and cold milk. Eggs will smell in the office and anything else being heated. Wait till lunch to have your hot food unless you don't mind causing an atmosphere amonst your work mates. Not wise.

@Morgysmum

That is harsh, I worked in a similar role, we were allowed 2 15 minutes breaks, 1 in the morning in the afternoon. Or this is what I tried, to break up the day, then a 30 minute break. I did heat up food, but only on my dinner, I don't see the problem, if it only takes the time to make a cup of tea. I also ate at my desk as the staff room was freezing and smelt bad.

She is allowed two breaks. The employer has directly said she can split her break time in two. So it isn’t ‘harsh’ at all.

She would just rather have her full lunch break and also eat a cooked breakfast during paid work time.

A cereal bar to eat with your tea is the obvious answer.

@wewereliars

I think it's the confusion of private activity with public / inappropriate spaces.

Beans and eggs in a caff, fine, at your desk no, yuck.

So glad I work from home, because I don't think I could tolerate this crap now, I have lost my tolerance. It's like with those women who put their full face of make up on the train. It literally makes me want to commit murder. This is not your fucking bedroom and I don t want to see it.... and breathe

See, I can understand not wanting to smell a colleagues eggs, but not sure why someone putting make up on in your presence is so offensive

I think its a perception issue. Are you behind in your work? Underperforming? The issue is that if there are performance issues, however minor then this elaborate breakfasting could be seen as a pisstake. In my experience if you are seen as a strong performer then no issues. But I'm wondering (perhaps completely incorrectly) if there are other issues at play? You don't mention if there is bandwidth issues, the team is stretched etc but you mention the importance of time away from the sceeen twice. So just playing the devils advocate here, are you pulling your weight?

Yep

If I were you OP I would bring hard boiled eggs and a healthy muffin. There are many healthy muffin recipes on the internet.

Just make sure you don't leave the egg peels around.

I had a pregnant employee who brought hard boiled eggs and it was no problem at all.

The other option is the little "quiches" you can do in a muffin tin and eat cold or slightly warmed.

You are probably creating a feeling of injustice in a coworker. Plus the egg smell when cooking.

I worked in an office for 14yrs up till COVID and now WFH. There were some people who did something similar to yourself and TBH it did get peoples backs up. To give you an example 1 would bring in a bowl of porridge that was pre made and heat it up. So during the time she went to the kitchen, heated it, sat down and ate it she wasn't really doing any work. If you are eating hot food that requires utensils you aren't really working. I personally think if you want to eat a meal such as this that it should be done in a break. Snacks and drinks during work time is acceptable.
I do get your point that people can spend time chatting in kitchen or corridors though but the line has to be drawn somewhere. If managers allow people to do breakfast and eat it during work time they'd have to really allow someone to do the same with lunch. Also smelly food at the desk is a common office irritant. For example spicy food etc. Due to health issues I often feel sick in the morning and porridge was something that made me very nauseous, so the lady heating up and eating porridge made me feel awful not to mention I had to take all her phone calls while she was eating!!

Aw it will 100% be the smell from the eggs (which I also love) but especially in the morning if no one else is cooking to mask the smell it lingers for ages. I would suspect your line manager has suggested the lunch split so if whoever crabbit chops Fiona is that has been moaning to them brings it up again it’s a simple well X chose to split her lunch hour and you are more than welcome to do so to.

Tempting as it is I would say just to ignore it and bring in cereal bars or cereal and eat it at your desk. Just with it being a new job you don’t want to seem to be the one who spat the dummy because Fiona who moans about everything moaned about the smell. Again I completely understand why you want to but just try put a brave face on it.

If it was me the next Friday I was in I would bring in a couple packs of chocolate biscuits to shut there moaning faces, be the bigger person and never mention the conversation you had with your line manager about “egg gate”. Hopefully the reason no one mentioned how badly Fiona is reacting it in a friendly/in the passing manor is due to the fact you are new and they didn’t know how you would take it x

I get that it only takes a few mins to make. But that is a full on meal! Surely you could bring in some porridge to heat up? Like eggs and beans on toast is a treat to me .. also something you order in a cafe not make to sit at your desk to eat. Have you also worked out the time it takes eating and cutting it all up? Hats off to you.. I think takes some confidence to do that in a new job xx

Egg smell is gross. Also why are you eating a hot meal at your desk when you've just arrived for work?

Where I work there is a canteen that does take away / eat in full English breakfasts lots of people use the takeaway and eat breakfast at their desk, the smell doesn’t bother anybody, but our managers and staff are a nice kind group of people.

@BarbaraofSeville

I'm also surprised about all the 'eat before you get to work comments'. I would have thought that, with the popularity of 16:8 type eating patterns, that people would be more used to having breakfast later in the day.

I did intermittent fasting, and didn't eat dinner. You don't have to miss breakfast!

OP I think it's because you are eating with a knife a fork. You really aren't really working if you're doing that. Agree with PPs that it may also be the smell.