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

We're not at school now where we go running to the teacher instead of speaking to people like adults

in all work places people do this though, so annoying.

If she wasn't eating, she was drinking coffee. Constant food smells from the desk next to you is not nice. I sympathise

loads of people drink coffee at work-pretty standard, that wouldn't bother me as the smell is not that strong or repugnant.

I'd have to have headphones on as someone constantly chomping away would set me on edge. But the smells! Especially if you are trying to eat healthily yourself. I had to put my headphones on because someone was chewing gum with his mouth open and mouth breathing opposite me on the train yesterday.

I'd say something to her first.

I don’t like KFC or MCDonalds and would hate to have them in my face as standard

I do and sometimes have gone out at lunch to drive thru but I ate them in my car and never took them back into the workplace.

Is it really not OK to ask how to deal with smells, greasiness and crumbs without accusations of guilt tripping?

I agree that what and how much the woman chooses to eat is none of the OP’s or anyone else’s business.

But where, and how she eats it, including for how long, are, if the OP shares a desk and phone with her.

in our organisation eating while in a public facing task would be considered unprofessional. And not allowed on reception. Beyond a mint kept below the counter, perhaps, or taking a chocolate from a box if someone brought them round from a client or birthday or whatever.

Wings are messy and Labour intensive to eat, whatever their nutritional status.

OP, I would just say ‘can we just keep snacks and food off the desk please? I’m getting crumbs in my handbag and the phone gets all greasy”

And after that if she keeps it up, introduce wipes. You will have been open and direct with her about why, so not passive aggressive.

The frequent finger licking and phone handling is disgusting. I would ask your manager for a separate phone, it shouldn’t be hard or expensive to do, and I am surprised that people are still sharing phones in this Covid era.

Or Tell your manager you would be able to be more productive with a headset type arrangement. Which would also leave you more hands free for desk wiping.

If none of this works go full PA: get a friend as a mystery shopper to give feedback about messy smelly reception or KFC on the desk or chomping down the phone.

I think you need to mention this to your manager asap. I feel like I can tolerate a lot but the thought of someone leaving a phone greasy after eating makes me shiver. It’s basic hygiene that’s lacking here. For the commenters saying op is judging her colleague on the food she is eating, would you honestly be happy in your place of work picking up a phone greasy from food that someone else has just eaten and winding up with crumbs on your bag? It’s disgusting!

when i worked 12 hr shifts in a factory i wasnt allowed to eat or drink anything outside of the half hr lunchbreak!

I sympathise OP, this would knock me sick. I used to work with a colleague who used to eat pretty much all day in our shared office and it wasn't pleasant. The worst thing was when they used to eat a whole tube of pringles and lick each one on both sides before putting it in their mouth, followed by wiping their fingers on their clothes or chair. 🤑

That's so grim. I think you need to say something - it's not remotely unreasonable to say to someone that the greasy phone is an issue and you're struggling with the smell!

Its not the eating, its what she's eating and how she's eating it.
In your position I'd ask if:

1. She could avoid strong smelling food in the work area
2. She cleaned up after eating

Reasonable, polite requests to a colleague that contain no judgement about quantity of food or frequency of eating. If this doesn't work speak to your line manager and ask her to enforce these requests. We had to introduce a no food at desks policy because of this which was also helpful in ensuring everyone had their '20 minutes away from their work station' break entitlement.

Why the heck are people eating all day long at their work station. ? Don't they get assigned break for that? I'd be pissed right off if I shared a work space and phone with someone like that op yanbu

I'm a grazer but would never dream of getting food muck all over a shared desk/phone/other item - just like I wouldn't spill a drink on it or get makeup on it, etc. If you don't want to confront her on it, get some water wipes and wipe the phone. Food can be a very contentious issue so I completely understand if you don't want to talk to her about it.

I have a colleague who LOVES Egg McMuffins and the smell of egg makes me feel a bit sick, but in all other respects she is lovely so I don't say anything. Does your colleague have good points or is this a manifestation of your frustration of her in other areas?

Maybe instigating a food-free zone with help from line manager/HR is the way forward.

Even if she does, this wouldn't prevent her from wiping things down. In fact, I think it very unlikely that she has CF, as people with CF, being vulnerable to infections, are usually very hygiene-conscious.

Constant eaters drive me nuts, too, @shewhoisnotme
I used to have to get the National Express into Central London sometimes, and the ''Eaters'' would start at Bristol, and be eating constantly throughout the 2.5hr journey.
Smelly food..noisy food...messy food.

I think National Express banned burgers because the smell was so nauseating.

Slurp crunch rustle rustle slurp crunch crunch crunch crunch crunch, lipsmack, turning a sandwich around and around to bite different parts of it, then bringing out yet more food...
Smell, crumbs, urgh...There IS something gluttonous about constant eating, especially in a public place.

How can she possibly answer the phone with a mouthful of food?

Granted I have never worked in an office like that but Im suprised your allowed to sit and eat KFC at the desk... do you not have a break room to eat in.

I could maybe understand if it was just occasionally picking through a pack of skittles or something but cooked foods?

I worked in a surgical clinic and in microbiology labs... also couldnt eat/drink due to cross contamination, we got 1 (sometimes 2) dedicated lunch break like you and in the lab shifts could be 12-13 hours.

When I was a photographer shooting weddings/events I often work all day without a food break.

I dont quite know how someone could just sit and eat all day, barring a few rare medical conditions is really strange.

It’s really more common than you’d think. I have a couple of the other girls who sit near me in the office who just constantly snack and graze all day, as well as big lunches etc.

It doesn’t really bother me tbh, and obviously up to someone what they want to eat but it is an unhealthy relationship with food especially considering that the two of them are the ones you’ll hear talking/complaining about their weight regularly.

I think food breaks need to be at designated times in the day, not this constant office grazing culture. I know I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my work if I was eating at the same time as working. I don't think a person is productive if they are distracted by food all the time.

I had kind of the other way round at my old job - my colleague would act virtuous for skipping lunch, saying "I don't eat a lot" etc, and almost acting smug that she was working through her lunch break when I went off for my break, but then she would be necking the coffees and by 3pm she would have an absolute energy crash and would be useless in the office with no ability to concentrate on anything because she hadn't eaten a decent meal when she had the chance. It really got to me, because I felt like I had to pick up all her slack after 3pm every day.

I can imagine a few jobs where eating in reception might not be a big issue. Not every reception is in a neat sterile office block. I've been in places where reception is more phone based than customer, or it's somewhere where standards are different. The local car salvage yard springs to mind. A very busy place requiring a receptionist but always filled with workers in oily overalls wandering in, or mucky mechanics coming in to ask for parts. Then there's the busy farm feed place. Staff in a hay covered fleece and a calor gas heater in the corner of the room. The stinky food thing would still piss me off in either of those situations. There are loads of reception jobs ranging between those and a fancy modern company reception desk where you'd be expected to be wearing make up and business attire.

She is allowed to eat food on a reception, how unprofessional.!!!

Yuk yanbu.

Well, I sympathise.

Watching someone graze on KFC and McDonald's day in day out would be annoying, and yes even disgusting.

And it's compounded by the fact that there's nothing you can say.

Chill out. That does sound annoying and no hint of superiority

I believe there are a few posters who project their own insecurities by shouting

FAT SHAMING

as loudly as they can on as many threads as possible to close down discussion.

Yes it is completely fine to complain about someone that they are being inconsiderate, unprofessional and down right dirty in a work setting. It should be raised with line managers precisely because it causes problems for other staff. It is something that shouldn't be happening. No one needs to be eating outside their set work breaks unless they have a medical excemption - if nothing else because it means they can't be doing what they are supposed to be!

OP is completely reasonable and its definitely one for a line manager to deal with because its causing issues between staff. And she should be taking the side of the staff member who isn't taking the piss and is actually working rather than eating!

Gross. I would refuse to touch the phone and if possible move my chair as far away from her as possible!

Time you started doing something equally gross all day. Like picking your nose and wiping snot on the phone.