Office Lunch Room Etiquette
Bringing food to eat at work, especially in a big office, can create some interesting social situations. Understanding how finicky and particular some people can be about their food and dining circumstances will go a long way towards keeping a good environment in the lunchroom.
Sanitation
Coffee cups, spoons, plates and all other kitchen items need to, of course, be kept clean and germ free. Ideally, there will be a maid service to do regular thorough cleaning, but even if there is, a fulltime staff member should be appointed to kitchen duty to assure that proper sanitation practices are in place.
Of course, employees should be responsible for policing after themselves and keeping the area clean, but they cannot always be expected to have the time to clean countertops, refrigerators and microwaves that should be attended on a regular basis. Basic cleaning supplies should be provided in the kitchen area so that anyone who needs to clean up can do so. Posting a clever sign like ” your mother doesn’t work here, clean up after yourself” will only do so much, but they should, nonetheless, be included.
Common Food and Drinks
Quite often, office lunchrooms are recipients of food or drinks that are free to all, such as birthday cakes, holiday dishes and leftovers. Certain rules of etiquette certainly apply, especially those dealing with sanitation issues like ” double dipping” and sharing utensils. There is also an unwritten rule that even though it’s free, you want to save plenty for everyone else so there are no hard feelings later.
Coffee makers, filtered water machines and soda dispensers are all items they should be everyone’s responsibility to a degree. No one should be allowed to compromise other’s health by not properly using such common dispensers. The specific contact person should be appointed to routinely oversee all beverage centers to make sure they are well stocked, clean and bug free, and their name should be prominently posted in case anyone has questions or concerns.
Respecting Private Food
When people bring their lunch to work or stock some snacks in the office lunchroom, they should be able to come back and find it a right where they left it.
Many office hostilities can arise when a hungry workers’ lunch is missing because another office worker helped themselves to it. If such issues are a problem, employees should be instructed to label their food containers. No one should have to resort to the ” fake mold plastic bag” novelty item that is being sold to discourage thievery from office lunchrooms.
Another private food problem that occurs involves proper storage. Some people forget about items and they become rancid or moldy and need to be properly disposed of by their owners. This is one more reason to have workers label their food so it can be identified. Another aspect of this problem involves improper use of the refrigerator space, resulting in cramped conditions where stored food is being crushed or mangled by new items jockeying for position.
Sharing
A rather delicate situation that occurs in office lunchrooms is people’s enthusiasm about their recipes and food choices. What is delicious to one may be disgusting to another, and people should be aware that not everyone shares their tastes and be very understanding if another employee does not want to try your newest ” hotter-than-hell” salsa recipe because they have in more sensitive system than you do.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong for sharing as long as you are considerate, and the lunchroom is an excellent place to swap recipes, favorite restaurants and daring menus with your coworkers. Learning about others’ tastes can be an interesting way to discover more about the people you work with, and nothing is more delightful than having someone show up with one of your favorites because they know how much you like it.