The Cleaner in work is pouring full fat milk into the low fat milk.

[AwayWithTheFairiesX]

I work in an office of a factory. We get 8 litres of full fat milk a day delivered . I asked around to see if I changed 1 of the bottles to low fat milk if anyone one would mind. They all said ok so I was given permission by the accountant to change it. The cleaner seen the low fat milk in the fridge and freaked out . interrogating everyone to find out who changed. she demanded I change it back even though i don't answer to her. She is feer mongering anyone who drinks saying ' I can't believe your drinking' 'that's the last bottle of that you will see' . Hiding in the back of the fridge and refuses to put it inth same section as the other milk.. But the worst of it happened this morning when i realised she poured over half a litre of full fat milk into the carton of low fat milk. What the hell do i do in this situation because i know if i go to management they will laugh at its ridiculousness and wont take it seriously. I don't like confrontation so i dont know how to best approach.

Tampering with people’s food or drinks is completely unacceptable in every way. Yes- it’s all very school ground here, but what if you had an allergy or you’d had a massive heart attack or stroke and been told to watch your cholesterol to avoid a recurrence? You need to take it to management so whoever manages her can deal with this. It’s all harmless now, but what about when she’s replacing someone who has milk allergy’s oat milk for full fat milk? You do not tamper with food or drink, ever, and not in the workplace for sure.

Every place I've worked what's provided is it, if you want something different you bring your own.

The low fat milk was provided. The cleaner is knowingly contaminating it with the full fat milk.

I actually would speak to your manager for advice.

Nobody should be decanting things into communal milk bottles. Thats ridiculous. And bloody dangerous in the case of allergies or the likes.

What's it got to do with her if one of the bottles has been changed, for the benefit of a staff member, to low fat?

What a bizarre reaction to a bottle of milk. People get weird about mad stuff.

Why does it matter to the cleaner what milk is available?!
Also why is milk always SUCH a huge workplace issue hahaha (I don't say that in a mean way; my workplace gets milk delivered and people steal it - I bring in my own which is also stolen)

Can I just ask, please, because it's bothering me - the 8 daily litres is for the whole factory, right? Or are there vast numbers of people/babies/calves working in the office?

I think the way to tackle this is to go back to the accountant and explain that she's wasting money by mixing up the milk - so you won't be able to drink it.
I wouldn't drink or eat anything from the work in the meantime, what a weird thing to do.

I'd just tell her she's seriously over stepping and that it's none of her business if you don't like full fat milk.

I hate the stuff. I can't even drink a cup of tea with semi. It's not a crime to not like the taste of milk!

Messing with someone’s food is actually a crime. It might sound silly on its face, “oh, she is mixing the milk” but due to dietary requirements and allergies and all the rest of it, messing with someone’s food is a crime.

Just speak to management. Tell them you have a dietary requirement which requires low fat (I have bowel issues so this could make me unwell. I need to have a low fat diet) and what she is doing could make you unwell and messing with anyone’s food, so they are consuming something without knowing, is a serious issue you expect them to take care of.

It’s not funny.

😂😂😂😂

This is the most judgemental comment ever.

I'd be more concerned about the tampering with the milk than anything she says. Its an extreme but what happened if for some reason someone medically needed low fat milk and she tampered with it (although they would probably bring their own milk if medical anyway). But she doesn't know.

When I used to work in a shop, it was the bloody managers who were always taking home milk/cakes/whatever was given in for all the staff. Not the cleaners!

All of this.

If this was my workplace and she was pulled up and perhaps hadn’t realised the potentially serious consequences of her actions and was very apologetic and fully took responsibility for this unacceptable behaviour then maybe she’d get a final written warning, but to be perfectly honest I think we’d dismiss her. It does sound silly on the surface, but it’s not actually trivial AT ALL.

I need low fat milk. I never brought my own because the company bought milk for teas and coffees. I didn’t need to bring my own. I wasn’t at risk of anaphylaxis or instant death, so why would I bring my own?
Only an absolute psycho is going to Tampere with it and mix them. The OP should go and discuss with management.

I’d report to HR as that’s bullying behaviour

This as well! I didn’t even think about that as the food tampering got me quite angry. But this is workplace bullying, and could create a pretty horrible atmosphere for someone being berated every day over bloody milk.

Thats just difference of opinion tho...I would (and did when I needed to due to my migraines) take me own milk even though low fat is provided. Mainly as I could control it and it wasn't always available at work (esp if only 1 is being bought for a whole office) Ours goes by lunchtime so if I need it in the afternoon, I'd have to take my own.

She’s bonkers, but I do feel for you, OP - I loathe full fat milk!

Honestly, just take your own in a flask. It’s not worth trying to argue with that sort of nutter.

I think there could be something in this... but also low fat or full fat, it's not a great idea to add milk of different freshness dates to each other, its contaminating.

How is mixing up the milk considered part of cleaning anyway?

It's a shame that you feel that discussing this with management would make you feel ridiculous - it's an odd thing that she's doing, which affects your entitlement to milk, which presumably is one of your work benefits. You shouldn't be made, or let yourself feel, that it's so trivial its ridiculous. People are being urged every single day by doctors to cut their cholesterol - so it's not a small issue at all, especially since you got people to agree it was fine for you to have low fat milk.

If you don't feel you can discuss it with management, maybe talk to the people you canvassed in the first place. I bet they would agree it was annoying. In the meantime, I like the thermos idea, so at least you could be sure. I got so hacked off with the office tea/coffee issues (they had a contract for a disgusting dispensing machine) that I started having black tea/coffee or peppermint tea and once you do that, its like giving up sugar in drinks, you can't go back.

Also liked a pps suggestion to bring in all kinds of weird milks 😀

Everyone you know?

I have no idea what milk everyone I know drinks and why the fuck would I?

You're the odd one. Nosey and odd.

Disagree with bring your own. I know it seems like a silly insane thing but food tampering would be a serious incident in my work place and would be handled swiftly and formally. You do not mess with other peoples food. Putting it at the back so people would reach for the other stuff first, I'd just eye roll but mixing them. Straight to line manager follow up with an email. She has no idea why you want that milk, it's not her business and a swift end needs to put it.

Keep your complaint factual and to the point.

She seems to be spending a lot of her time shifting milk around and being rude to people. Who does she report to?

Milk fat allergy is more frequent in newborns and children, but it can occur at any age

Tell her it for medical reasons and her actions could make someone really poorly

I don't know why she is having such a reaction to having 1 btl of different milk in the fridge (no pun intended)

And why fill the bottle back up with full fat milk - does she normally top up the bottles?