Manager overstepping?

[ChalkOutlines]

Received an email from our manager about our use of products from a certain shop. Some waffle about items being non recyclable , which could be fair enough I suppose. It didn’t stop there though, it continued with “do you realise this costs x amount a year?” and then the worst bit “ it encourages deposits of belly fat “.
I find it incredibly patronising(we’re nit children and need daddy to help us budget or explain exactly how much we spend) and overstepping(none of his business what we eat/drink and whether we’re overweight because if it or not). Not just that, but we do have several members of staff that struggle with EDs. Not sure whether Manager is aware, but I don’t think it’s relevant.

Planning to send a strongly worded email.

AIBU?

Do you mean he's commenting on things staff buy with their own money for their own use/ consumption (eg going to KFC for lunch) or things staff are buying with company budget for company use? If the former, he's totally out of order. If the latter, he's still out of order with the belly fat comments (seriously, wtf??) If the company want to dictate how and where things should be bought, they should issue a (sensible) policy on it

Own money.

Wow OP, he's really out of order with those comments.

Completely out of order.
Creepy as well.

I’d buy it twice as often.

Creepy how?

The only reason I can think they could dictate what you eat is if you eat in front of clients, and said clients would have a problem with certain things.
Still not ok the way he said it though.
And the recycling comment? Makes me think of our local council who go on about the environment. yet make their staff go to a congested city centre for meetings they could hold online. As in I suspect hypocrisy, but maybe that isn't the case for you?

Patronising and talking about belly fat.

I think he’s trying to assert his dominance/position(he’s quite new) , but in all the wrong ways. We’ve taken changes to policy in our stride (no matter how infuriating) but shit like this is a step too far , and not the only overstepping (rather personal) comment he made.

Do you have HR support? Send it to them with a v brief cover note. Dont make yourself the focus, make him the focus, of their inevitable investigation. He sounds like the kind of chap who would mark your card if you “strongly” respond…

Assuming your business isn’t linked e.g. a wellness studio giving dietary advice and the bins the clients can see are overflowing with McDonalds wrappers…
Then it’s non of his business - and if you are part of a bigger organisation I would forward to HR with a note: “…as you might know we have several members of staff who have ED.. “

The products you are buying with your own money does it affect your job?

Manager from your post sounds completely unreasonable but think it’s also hard to say without knowing the products.

1. is it vaping?
2. are staff vaping where the public can see them on breaks?
3. are staff disposing of vapes properly, or are they being left lying around?

Does vaping make you fat?

Not vaping. More like drink/food items. Like costa coffee and a pastry in the morning , for example.

Good point and glad I posted. I wanted to do the grown up thing , but maybe forwarding the email to HR and adding pertinent details would be the smarter way to deal with this.

ATM I’m still very much at the “who the fuck does he think he is?” Stage.

There is some emerging research around visceral fat deposits linked to vaping

Dear X,

I wanted to respond to your email. It is important to allow colleagues appropriate autonomy at work. I do not think line management should take a view on what people eat, unless it is causing a nuisance such as an odour. It's also important that we respect colleagues as people, and not risk being seen to comment on personal appearance or health.

Yours etc

In which case, as long as staff aren’t leaving litter, then it’s fuck all to do with him.

(If it had been vaping, though his email
would still be a huge overreach, i could see how some organizations wouldn’t want staff doing it where customers/ clients could see. I smoke sometimes and I would go for a walk around the block rather than stand at the front of the office.)

Vaping/smoking I would completely understand. Not the language, but having a policy against it. We do have rules around that so people who do need to , go to their cars(if not parked on site), for a walk, to Costa and pick up a coffee (to keep with my example) , etc.

I would probably forward to HR and ask if it’s corporate policy.

I would not reply to him and would continue eating what I like. If he mentions it I’d just agree, but still keep doing what I wanted.