Food, Glorious Food?
There's a place at our company, like most others, where people can share treats and sweets. I must say, if I pass that area and I find a cookie, doughnut or a slice of pizza, it very well could be the highlight of my day.
Some others do not partake in the great "wet bar" finds--my coworker Kerri Hatt being one of them. For a long time, I would tell her when I saw a goodie on the wet bar. "Kerri, there are brownies on the wet bar!" "Now there are pretzels out there!" She would always thank me for telling her, but I can't recall one time when she joined me in grabbing some food.
She told me once she'd rather not snack on things that are just lying around; she's trying to eat healthy. I respect her opinion on the wet bar (while stuffing my face with whatever it has to offer that day--by the way, today was Jolly Rancher-flavored jelly beans), just like she's respected mine.
But some may not feel the same about shared food in the workplace (or, they don't have as much self-control as Kerri does). A Wall Street Journal article detailed some employees who felt the free food at work was destroying their weight loss efforts, and some took pretty extreme measures, including taking candy jars off an employee's desk.
I applaud anyone who is trying to lose weight; I know it can be a difficult task. But I don't think it is right to ask a coworker to remove goodies from her own desk. There has to be a happy medium. Maybe finding a designated "food area" or room, one where those who don't want to partake can easily avoid it?
How do you deal with all the extra food in the break room (especially with it being National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week)?