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.

It smells. Someone has complained. Simple.

Wow really surprised by these comments. I thought eating ‘al desko’ was pretty common now in office workplaces. I bring my breakfast to work (7:30am start) and often heat up my porridge and eat it while working or bring in yogurt and granola. It’s really not hard to work and eat! I also eat my lunch before or after my half an hour break and then go for a walk on my break. It’s usually a sandwich or salad, not something I would heat up though because I could see why that would look like I'm taking a longer break. Pretty much all of us sit and eat at our desks. We also often have a hot breakfast on a Friday delivered and sit and eat that whilst working.

@Kotatsu
We are supplied with anti bac wipes and we all use them - several times a day

Surely there's some etiquette around what you can and cannot eat at your desk. Granola or yogurt don't smell, whereas baked beans and eggs do. I know which one I'd not be happy being near. Think of others please.

At my work we don’t have anywhere to eat that isn’t our desks. We have a small break out room with a microwave and kettle but no seats etc and it’s often used as a room for meetings or confidential calls or teams meetings. So you have to sneak in grab your lunch from the fridge or chuck some water in your pot noodle and sneak out. And hope the person In there doesn’t get arsey !

Op if you want a proper sit down toast, brew, eggs I’d take ten mins of your lunch break, you won’t miss it

Or just do a Belvita or a cereal bar at your desk or something

@Hlglu56
‘Al desko’ 🙂 that’s a good term

@Popskipiekin

YABslighlyU. I expect people have commented as it must look odd you having a hot meal at your desk so early on in the day, and tbh I’m not sure anyone works properly whilst eating, especially something involving cutlery.

I’d move to always having something cold, if you have to. Also, it hasn’t been mentioned, but warm food does smell… perhaps that is an unvoiced objection?

Agreed, surely you need cutlery in order to eat eggs or beans on toast? Whilst holding these you can't really be working can you?

@Kotatsu

I've put that YANBU - to eat - BUT

As an IT person, your keyboard is going to get disgusting if you eat over it. And yes, hot food definitely spreads a smell more, which people are going to struggle with sometimes.

I'd just split the break and eat in the break room personally.

Also an IT person here. I eat at my desk because there's nowhere else to go, there is no break room. Like a PP we have antibacterial wipes and I use them on my keyboard and desk daily.

Are you working in close proximity with other members of staff? I wouldn't be happy at all working in an office that ponged of your early morning eggs, I think it would make me feel a bit sick tbh

Have porridge it doesn’t smell

I had a co-worker who pulled the same routine. She would leave her work station to bring back her breakfast, and eat it at her desk. Slurping and chewing and getting sticky fingers on the paperwork. She wouldn't take calls, because her mouth was full, of course. Meanwhile the rest of us would get the work done. When she was finished eating her meal while on the clock, she would then re-do or re-arrange a few dispatch assignments, so her name showed up on the work, as if she had actually been working. She would do the same at lunch, and then, at the end of the day she would leave early, because she hadn't had an actual lunch break away from her desk.

I think they are being unnecessarily strict. Doesn’t sound disruptive and you should have the freedom to eat when you are hungry. I think a lot of people on here also sound too anal to be honest. I just don’t see why it would be a big deal.

Jeez. Split your lunch break. Move on to kippers to punish them as they punished you.

@Mummadeze

I think they are being unnecessarily strict. Doesn’t sound disruptive and you should have the freedom to eat when you are hungry. I think a lot of people on here also sound too anal to be honest. I just don’t see why it would be a big deal.

You should also have the freedom to do yoga whenever you feel stiff/uncomfortable. And go outside whenever it’s stuffy and you feel hot. Or talk to your family on the phone when you miss them.

Realistically you don’t. When you take a job you sell that freedom to your employer. During the time they pay you you do the work they are asking you to do. In your own time you do what you want to do. The employer has said they’re happy for her to eat, away from her desk, by taking her lunch break in two parts.

The smell though!
And im with you;: i cant eat in the morning when i wake up either
But have some sympathy for your co-workers. Just eat a sandwich. Or some fruit/yoghurt

Take in overnight oats x

I used to have to eat half a sandwich one handed in the loo because we didn’t get breaks and worked through for anything from 10 to 20 hours a day. There was no one to take over my duties. No time to stop. Fortunately, the reception staff used to bring hot/cold drinks in to me or I would have dehydrated. I had to pee in-between each operation. Quickly, +/- a sandwich. Need to pee before then or during a loooooong op, tough hold it.

It will be the smell, the mess and the general grot that goes with having that kind of food at your desk. I'd complain too if someone in the office did that every day. Don't think you can win here as if you push back, the rule will just set that no one can eat anything at their desk, but the other employees will blame you if they can't eat unsmelly snacks / tea at their desks. I'd take them up on the split break offer and keep food in the kitchen.

It’s this type of nonsense that makes me glad I don’t work in an office anymore. A ‘professional’ with degree level education but can’t be trusted to plan around three minutes of lost time.

I can have as many breaks as I want as long as we get everything to site on time and customers are happy.

Smell.

Heated foods are more aromatic, so the smell will waft further & linger than a bowl of cornflakes or couple of biscuits.

Also some people are rather sensitive to sounds of others eating - chomping, slurping, gnawing, rendering sinew from carcass etc.

I assume that the microwave is away from the working area, can you have your meal there? That area is more likely to be gone over by the cleaners so crumbs etc don’t attract mice & insects.

Al Desko eating, unless an effort is made to wipe the desk & keyboard, can be unhygienic compared to designated eating areas.

‘ I used to have to eat half a sandwich one handed in the loo because we didn’t get breaks and worked through for anything from 10 to 20 hours a day. ’

Eeeeeeyyeeeeewwwwwww!
Pooticles.

‘ Have porridge it doesn’t smell’

Oh but it does.
Yummy oatey smell with hot milk overtones.
I cannot pass a bowl of hot porridge without yearning for a spoonful or two. I have Goldilocks Syndrome...

@mediocrates thank you

Take in a little camping stove and add in the bacon and sausages…they’ll be gagging for sharesies.

Seriously, you can’t make a cooked breakfast at work!

Eat a sandwich or a yoghurt with one hand whilst actually working. Cooking stinky eggs and sitting at your desk to eat them (presumably with utensils) is taking liberties.