Colleague constantly eating all the time

[shewhoisnotme]

We share a desk.

She comes in at 9. Usually a McDonald's breakfast bun of some kind

Snacks on cake, sausage rolls, meats 🍰

Lunch is chicken and chips, McDonald's, KFC. Loads of crisps for a snack after at her desk

AIBU to be annoyed? She is constantly eating! The drums drive me up the wall. They edge onto my side

If it's not effecting your life I'm not sure why it's any of your business what she eats tbh.

@undecided112 because we share a work phone that we answer. It rings. If I'm doing something she picks up, and vice v etc. She leaves it greasy from just eating loads of crisps etc. answers sometimes with her mouth half full

Crumbs everywhere. It's just frustrating

Ask her politely to sweep up her crumbs and focus on something else. Or change desks.

the quantity/frequency is her business
MacDonalds & KFC sound unpleasantly pongy for the office

I’ve experienced similar, my colleague goes the extra mile and licks her fingers then wipes her hands on her chair. She often spills whatever she’s eating and it would be left where it landed, on her clothes or the chair, her chair has actually had mould growing on it at times.
there used to be an element of desk sharing but it’s not done now, solely because of her filth. A visitor to the office once pulled out her chair to take a seat momentarily and their face when they saw stains and mould on it. It’s beyond embarrassing. Management ignore and we have no hr.

I don't think you should be judging her for eating.
It's completely fine to ask her to keep all of her stuff on her side of the desk though.

There is something gross about this

I had this with a colleague who I became good friends with, but I found it really grim. If she wasn't eating, she was drinking coffee. Constant food smells from the desk next to you is not nice. I sympathise.

keep a box of wet wipes/telephone wipes by the phone and pointedly wipe the phone before answering

Assume you mean crumbs not drums? 😀
I think you can mention specific things that annoy you and are a bit anti social like food being smelly and crumbs on your desk. I don’t think the fact that she eats so much at work is, in itself, your concern.

x posted
I could not share a phone with grease on it. You can comment on that, surely?

Hmm I'll give an example of today - she had a box of KFC wings as a snack. They're really crumbling. She was working and then had one, rinse and repeat until they were gone. There were little KFC wing crumbs on top of my handbag by the end! Not sure how when my bag was on the other side but as I say, the mess is everywhere

So assuming you've politely told her to wipe down the phone and clean up the crumbs, what did she say?

Ask her to clean up her mess, and keep things on her side of the office and keep some antibac wipes around.
Sounds like you're just trying to shame her for the food she's eating. Yea

Her side of the office is my side. We both share the front desk, on reception

I’d be judging her. Why is she eating constantly during her working hours instead of her breaks? And leaving crumbs/grease and answering phones with her mouth full? My 5yo has better manners. There was a thread on here a few weeks back where the op was upset that she got reprimanded by her boss for having a quick bowl of porridge at her desk in the morning. She got absolutely annihilated on here with people calling her unreasonable. But it’s ok to stuff your face your entire working day with junk food at a shared desk?

The smell must be horrendous

McDonald's stinks

I’d assume the op has not said anything because it’s bloody embarrassing having to remind a grown adult how to eat nicely and not spill food on other peoples belongings.

It's gross. YANBU.

I haven't raised this with her as I feel embarrassed to. But I told our line manager who says she must just feel peckish and to leave her to it

It's not embarrassing to ask a colleague to wipe down the phone and desk for goodness sake.

This was common place during the pandemic anyway.

My guess is that you mainly find it gross because she eats food you think is a bit common.

See I don't get that.

You'd rather moan and about it on Mumsnet in the hope everyone will stroke your brow and join in with the criticism of this woman, rather than have a quick word about wiping down?

Why would you speak to your line manager as a first port of call? Either way I'm not sure your line manager understood the problem, either that or you're not being 100% honest here.

That is pretty disgusting. Not many other jobs would allow this constant eating. The vast majority of working adults manage to eat at designated break times so I'm sure she could too. Could you speak to management about having the desk area as a food free zone.

Yep, we’ll also undoubtedly be told that she’s a big lass soon enough!

Why wouldn't you speak to your line manager first? Confused.