Final week I requested about instances you’ve seen ridiculously bad behavior over free food at work — and also you definitely delivered. There have been so many hilarious tales left on that publish that I couldn’t match all of them my favorites into one column. Part 1 was here, and right here’s half 2.
1. The CEO
At my outdated job, the CEO/proprietor was a really out-of-touch older man who was extremely rich however was additionally a large tightwad. At the very least twice every week, he’d come to the cafeteria throughout lunchtime, wander among the many tables, and take meals from his workers. And never simply a few chips off of somebody’s plate – I witnessed him taking two full slices of pizza from a pie that 3 folks had been sharing. I noticed him take half of somebody’s sandwich. I noticed him take some pasta out of somebody’s takeout container.
With the ability dynamic, no one felt comfy telling him to cease. In the meantime, we had been all horribly underpaid and resentful that this millionaire was actually taking meals from our mouths.
Lastly, the colleagues I ate with and I made a decision to talk out and cease letting him take our meals. Just a few days later, we’d all ordered Chinese language and he got here by our desk with a fork and an empty plate, and tried to take the final dumpling from my plate. I mentioned, “Truly, I used to be about to eat that” and he appeared SHOCKED. He then tried to take some leftovers from my pal, who mentioned, “Sorry, I’m bringing the remainder of this residence to eat for dinner.” He didn’t even say something, simply walked away silently and went to a different desk. He tried a couple of extra instances with us however we stored telling him that the meals was spoken for and he lastly left us alone, however nonetheless terrorized the remainder of the cafeteria.
Ultimately, his daughter (who was a VP on the firm) discovered what he was doing and apparently ripped him a brand new one, and he stopped. Then she purchased lunch for the whole firm.
2. The goats
I work for a big manufacturing firm within the Nice Plains. We’ve a couple of thousand engineers that work right here in giant cubicle farms, and a good portion of them reside out within the surrounding space on acreages. A number of years in the past, we had an engineering coworker who would take whole buffet trays of leftover convention room meals to his car, earlier than anybody else was in a position to serve themselves. We assumed they had been getting the trays of meals for his or her giant household, however we discovered later that this engineer was taking the trays of meals again to his passion farm, to feed his goats.
Ever since that this engineer retired, all of us lastly get an opportunity at convention room leftovers.
3. The band of bandits
My division had an extended custom of over-the-top division potlucks, with a strict rule that if you happen to wished to eat, you needed to convey one thing. We had a variety of good cooks and we had been all actually into our pot lucks.
We would depart crock pots heating in our division breakroom within the morning. We discovered {that a} group of 4 males from one other division would at all times sneak into our breakroom and assist themselves to meals earlier than our lunchtime rolled round. We tried to unravel it with an indication that mentioned, “CONTAINS RAW CHICKEN! DO NOT EAT UNTIL 12:30!” We additionally hid all of the utensils and plates and issues till lunch time in an effort to thwart them. They ignored the signal and walked to a different break room and obtained their very own utensils and returned to steal meals.
They thought it was a hilarious battle of wills and we had been enraged that they had been stealing our lovingly ready meals (particularly as a result of we had at all times invited the remainder of the departments to partake of leftovers after our lunch). We lastly ended up with all of the crockpots on a rolling cart, plugged in to warmth up in a closet behind my desk (I’m certain the hearth marshal wouldn’t have authorised). The 4 “eaters,” as we known as them, would stroll round sniffing the air attempting to find the supply of the scrumptious smells.
4. The sweet dish
The present (and ongoing) free meals fracas at my office includes sweet. Like, enjoyable dimension sweet bars that you simply’d get/give at Halloween. This previous Halloween, our workplace supervisor put out a cute Halloween show with a bowl of sweet. This then morphed into a vacation show in November/December. Then, as a result of folks stored requesting it, sweet caught round into the brand new yr.
All of that sounds superb, proper? A pleasant little deal with for everybody, y’know?
Besides folks have seemingly misplaced any sense of decorum over this as a result of, after all, some forms of sweet are extra most popular than others. Which has led to folks hoarding sweet of their desks, taking mentioned hoarded sweet from folks’s desks, breaking into locked drawers and submitting cupboards to steal sweet, and so on. One of many companions even directed an intern to watch the sweet bowl and name him when it was refilled with the kind of sweet he likes!
I’ve advised our workplace supervisor to only cease shopping for extra sweet, however to this point the sweet bowl retains getting refilled and grown adults proceed to behave like fools.
5. The brand new rent
I labored in an workplace who purchased lunch for us regularly. We’d eat leftovers all through the week for extra free lunches. If there have been nonetheless leftovers on Friday, anybody who wished might take them residence (this often meant individual A took a tray of one thing, individual B took a bag of chips, and so on.).
We had a brand new rent, and in his first week he snuck into the kitchen on a Thursday afternoon and took ALL of the leftovers – we’re speaking no less than 4 catering pans of meals. It took us till the next week to determine the place they’d all gone. When confronted, he simply mentioned, “I’ve obtained household on the town.” I don’t assume he lasted a month at our firm.
6. The digicam feed
There can be a management-only catered lunch as soon as a month – there was a kitchen off the massive convention room. Except for this kitchen having to be locked always due to china, flatware and low cups going lacking (the proprietor insisted that each one the meals be faraway from the catering trays and put onto the flowery platters and such), the administration employees didn’t behave any higher than anybody else – the quantity of meals on the counters and all around the convention desk the place they ate was unbelievable. They’d go into the rubbish and discover the catering trays so they may attempt to disguise meals for themselves for later, and naturally the very second the assembly began the remainder of the employees would attempt to sneak in and steal meals. The proprietor would maintain the digicam feed from the kitchen on the large display screen within the convention room to catch folks so he might scream at them, but nobody ever discovered. (Emphasis is Alison’s. What?!)
7. The indignant donut
I used to work at a nonprofit that labored with a variety of group companions that might often use our house and depart leftovers after conferences. The manager director had an enormous anger downside (like frequent, full-volume yelling). Someday she walked previous my desk in an unusually good temper and talked about that there have been donuts within the kitchen and he or she would convey one again for me. She was gone for a very long time, after which lastly returned and deposited a handful of crumbs in a wadded up serviette on my desk and mentioned, “Sorry it’s slightly crumbled. I obtained in a disagreement with somebody on my approach again right here.”
Which 100% meant she had full-on screamed at somebody within the again workplace and unintentionally crushed the donut in her balled fist. I nonetheless ate it. It was scrumptious.
8. The potluck
My workplace used to carry annual potluck lunches through the vacation season. Everybody signed as much as both make a dish or donate cash in the direction of shopping for a tray of catered meals (like a kind of 6-foot subs, trays of rooster wings, and so on.). However we had a man who was a free meals vulture and big cheapskate regardless of not having any partner or children and having fairly the hefty retirement fund. Again after we used to have events celebrating a wedding or a brand new child, my coworkers and I might take wagers on what number of slices of cake this man would eat.
Anyway, he retired however *simply occurred* to point out as much as go to on the day of the annual luncheon. As everybody who had cooked/paid lined as much as seize meals, this dude LOUDLY exclaims how he didn’t convey any meals or pay any cash, however jumps consistent with everybody else and helps himself to a number of overflowing plates of meals. After which the subsequent day, when the leftovers had been put out, this jerk (reminder, he’s retired and doesn’t work right here anymore!) comes again with luggage. He packed up 3-4 grocery paper luggage filled with much more meals! I made certain I used to be inside earshot and loudly exclaimed to my coworkers simply how obnoxious this transfer was by somebody who contributed nothing. I by no means noticed him once more on potluck day after that yr (I at all times made one thing for that occasion so I attended yearly) or he obtained actually good at avoiding me … fairly certain it was the previous, not the latter lol.
9. The lock
Previous Workplace would order big lunches with the intent that the leftovers might come out the subsequent day for a second lunch. It was often Mexican meals, salads, sandwiches, or pasta: all objects that had been equally good the subsequent day.
However then folks started going into the fridge and taking all the leftovers. I’m speaking trays of meals disappearing. Notices went out to cease taking trays of meals out of the fridge.
Then trays of meals for future conferences had been being stolen. Muffins, fruit trays, desert platters that had been supposed for conferences the subsequent day had been vanishing.
They put a lock on the fridge. Lock was shattered the primary night time it was on the fridge.
The workplace had cameras that appeared into the world with the catering fridge, however HR didn’t need the awkwardness of confronting meals thieves. In order that they accepted that meals goblins would take something left in a single day.
10. The folder
I used to work in an workplace the place many of the employees had been in a single room and the senior employees had been down the corridor in particular person places of work. When folks introduced in snacks or baked items they had been typically left on a free desk and folks had been free to take what they favored. One of many senior guys would at all times present up shortly after the products had been put out. He’d are available with a doc in his hand in search of a member of the group to debate it with, he was at all times in search of the one who wasn’t in that day. He would then discover the objects and take one thing. One time he left the doc behind and we realized it was a folder simply filled with clean items of paper. No concept why he created this little charade, there was no downside with him taking one thing and plenty of different employees did simply drop by take one thing and depart. At all times discovered it barely humorous.
11. The Wished poster
I noticed a group of engineers create a Wished poster with the image of an engineer from one other division to ban him from their Friday donut potluck on account of extreme pilfering of their hoard.
Final week I requested about instances you’ve seen ridiculously bad behavior over free food at work — and also you definitely delivered. There have been so many hilarious tales left on that publish that I couldn’t match all of them my favorites into one column. Part 1 was here, and right here’s half 2.
1. The CEO
At my outdated job, the CEO/proprietor was a really out-of-touch older man who was extremely rich however was additionally a large tightwad. At the very least twice every week, he’d come to the cafeteria throughout lunchtime, wander among the many tables, and take meals from his workers. And never simply a few chips off of somebody’s plate – I witnessed him taking two full slices of pizza from a pie that 3 folks had been sharing. I noticed him take half of somebody’s sandwich. I noticed him take some pasta out of somebody’s takeout container.
With the ability dynamic, no one felt comfy telling him to cease. In the meantime, we had been all horribly underpaid and resentful that this millionaire was actually taking meals from our mouths.
Lastly, the colleagues I ate with and I made a decision to talk out and cease letting him take our meals. Just a few days later, we’d all ordered Chinese language and he got here by our desk with a fork and an empty plate, and tried to take the final dumpling from my plate. I mentioned, “Truly, I used to be about to eat that” and he appeared SHOCKED. He then tried to take some leftovers from my pal, who mentioned, “Sorry, I’m bringing the remainder of this residence to eat for dinner.” He didn’t even say something, simply walked away silently and went to a different desk. He tried a couple of extra instances with us however we stored telling him that the meals was spoken for and he lastly left us alone, however nonetheless terrorized the remainder of the cafeteria.
Ultimately, his daughter (who was a VP on the firm) discovered what he was doing and apparently ripped him a brand new one, and he stopped. Then she purchased lunch for the whole firm.
2. The goats
I work for a big manufacturing firm within the Nice Plains. We’ve a couple of thousand engineers that work right here in giant cubicle farms, and a good portion of them reside out within the surrounding space on acreages. A number of years in the past, we had an engineering coworker who would take whole buffet trays of leftover convention room meals to his car, earlier than anybody else was in a position to serve themselves. We assumed they had been getting the trays of meals for his or her giant household, however we discovered later that this engineer was taking the trays of meals again to his passion farm, to feed his goats.
Ever since that this engineer retired, all of us lastly get an opportunity at convention room leftovers.
3. The band of bandits
My division had an extended custom of over-the-top division potlucks, with a strict rule that if you happen to wished to eat, you needed to convey one thing. We had a variety of good cooks and we had been all actually into our pot lucks.
We would depart crock pots heating in our division breakroom within the morning. We discovered {that a} group of 4 males from one other division would at all times sneak into our breakroom and assist themselves to meals earlier than our lunchtime rolled round. We tried to unravel it with an indication that mentioned, “CONTAINS RAW CHICKEN! DO NOT EAT UNTIL 12:30!” We additionally hid all of the utensils and plates and issues till lunch time in an effort to thwart them. They ignored the signal and walked to a different break room and obtained their very own utensils and returned to steal meals.
They thought it was a hilarious battle of wills and we had been enraged that they had been stealing our lovingly ready meals (particularly as a result of we had at all times invited the remainder of the departments to partake of leftovers after our lunch). We lastly ended up with all of the crockpots on a rolling cart, plugged in to warmth up in a closet behind my desk (I’m certain the hearth marshal wouldn’t have authorised). The 4 “eaters,” as we known as them, would stroll round sniffing the air attempting to find the supply of the scrumptious smells.
4. The sweet dish
The present (and ongoing) free meals fracas at my office includes sweet. Like, enjoyable dimension sweet bars that you simply’d get/give at Halloween. This previous Halloween, our workplace supervisor put out a cute Halloween show with a bowl of sweet. This then morphed into a vacation show in November/December. Then, as a result of folks stored requesting it, sweet caught round into the brand new yr.
All of that sounds superb, proper? A pleasant little deal with for everybody, y’know?
Besides folks have seemingly misplaced any sense of decorum over this as a result of, after all, some forms of sweet are extra most popular than others. Which has led to folks hoarding sweet of their desks, taking mentioned hoarded sweet from folks’s desks, breaking into locked drawers and submitting cupboards to steal sweet, and so on. One of many companions even directed an intern to watch the sweet bowl and name him when it was refilled with the kind of sweet he likes!
I’ve advised our workplace supervisor to only cease shopping for extra sweet, however to this point the sweet bowl retains getting refilled and grown adults proceed to behave like fools.
5. The brand new rent
I labored in an workplace who purchased lunch for us regularly. We’d eat leftovers all through the week for extra free lunches. If there have been nonetheless leftovers on Friday, anybody who wished might take them residence (this often meant individual A took a tray of one thing, individual B took a bag of chips, and so on.).
We had a brand new rent, and in his first week he snuck into the kitchen on a Thursday afternoon and took ALL of the leftovers – we’re speaking no less than 4 catering pans of meals. It took us till the next week to determine the place they’d all gone. When confronted, he simply mentioned, “I’ve obtained household on the town.” I don’t assume he lasted a month at our firm.
6. The digicam feed
There can be a management-only catered lunch as soon as a month – there was a kitchen off the massive convention room. Except for this kitchen having to be locked always due to china, flatware and low cups going lacking (the proprietor insisted that each one the meals be faraway from the catering trays and put onto the flowery platters and such), the administration employees didn’t behave any higher than anybody else – the quantity of meals on the counters and all around the convention desk the place they ate was unbelievable. They’d go into the rubbish and discover the catering trays so they may attempt to disguise meals for themselves for later, and naturally the very second the assembly began the remainder of the employees would attempt to sneak in and steal meals. The proprietor would maintain the digicam feed from the kitchen on the large display screen within the convention room to catch folks so he might scream at them, but nobody ever discovered. (Emphasis is Alison’s. What?!)
7. The indignant donut
I used to work at a nonprofit that labored with a variety of group companions that might often use our house and depart leftovers after conferences. The manager director had an enormous anger downside (like frequent, full-volume yelling). Someday she walked previous my desk in an unusually good temper and talked about that there have been donuts within the kitchen and he or she would convey one again for me. She was gone for a very long time, after which lastly returned and deposited a handful of crumbs in a wadded up serviette on my desk and mentioned, “Sorry it’s slightly crumbled. I obtained in a disagreement with somebody on my approach again right here.”
Which 100% meant she had full-on screamed at somebody within the again workplace and unintentionally crushed the donut in her balled fist. I nonetheless ate it. It was scrumptious.
8. The potluck
My workplace used to carry annual potluck lunches through the vacation season. Everybody signed as much as both make a dish or donate cash in the direction of shopping for a tray of catered meals (like a kind of 6-foot subs, trays of rooster wings, and so on.). However we had a man who was a free meals vulture and big cheapskate regardless of not having any partner or children and having fairly the hefty retirement fund. Again after we used to have events celebrating a wedding or a brand new child, my coworkers and I might take wagers on what number of slices of cake this man would eat.
Anyway, he retired however *simply occurred* to point out as much as go to on the day of the annual luncheon. As everybody who had cooked/paid lined as much as seize meals, this dude LOUDLY exclaims how he didn’t convey any meals or pay any cash, however jumps consistent with everybody else and helps himself to a number of overflowing plates of meals. After which the subsequent day, when the leftovers had been put out, this jerk (reminder, he’s retired and doesn’t work right here anymore!) comes again with luggage. He packed up 3-4 grocery paper luggage filled with much more meals! I made certain I used to be inside earshot and loudly exclaimed to my coworkers simply how obnoxious this transfer was by somebody who contributed nothing. I by no means noticed him once more on potluck day after that yr (I at all times made one thing for that occasion so I attended yearly) or he obtained actually good at avoiding me … fairly certain it was the previous, not the latter lol.
9. The lock
Previous Workplace would order big lunches with the intent that the leftovers might come out the subsequent day for a second lunch. It was often Mexican meals, salads, sandwiches, or pasta: all objects that had been equally good the subsequent day.
However then folks started going into the fridge and taking all the leftovers. I’m speaking trays of meals disappearing. Notices went out to cease taking trays of meals out of the fridge.
Then trays of meals for future conferences had been being stolen. Muffins, fruit trays, desert platters that had been supposed for conferences the subsequent day had been vanishing.
They put a lock on the fridge. Lock was shattered the primary night time it was on the fridge.
The workplace had cameras that appeared into the world with the catering fridge, however HR didn’t need the awkwardness of confronting meals thieves. In order that they accepted that meals goblins would take something left in a single day.
10. The folder
I used to work in an workplace the place many of the employees had been in a single room and the senior employees had been down the corridor in particular person places of work. When folks introduced in snacks or baked items they had been typically left on a free desk and folks had been free to take what they favored. One of many senior guys would at all times present up shortly after the products had been put out. He’d are available with a doc in his hand in search of a member of the group to debate it with, he was at all times in search of the one who wasn’t in that day. He would then discover the objects and take one thing. One time he left the doc behind and we realized it was a folder simply filled with clean items of paper. No concept why he created this little charade, there was no downside with him taking one thing and plenty of different employees did simply drop by take one thing and depart. At all times discovered it barely humorous.
11. The Wished poster
I noticed a group of engineers create a Wished poster with the image of an engineer from one other division to ban him from their Friday donut potluck on account of extreme pilfering of their hoard.