Rules for the office kitchen

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Rules for the office kitchen
Etiquette for lunch-stealers, coffee-drainers and other office scofflaws

By MEGAN K. SCOTT
Associated Press
Published on: 07/01/08

Smashing someone else's lunch in the refrigerator to make way for your own. Draining the last of the coffee in the pot and not refilling it. Leaving your dishes in the sink.

Stace Maude / AP

(ENLARGE)

The inside of a refrigerator in an office kitchen in New York. While some things may be OK to do in your own refrigerator at home, it's bad form in the workplace, say etiquette experts.

While it may be OK to do these things in your house, it's bad form in the workplace, say etiquette experts. After all, the office kitchen is a communal space.

But if there's a slob or a food stealer among your ranks, don't despair. Sometimes all it takes are some firm kitchen rules. Here are some tips from etiquette experts on how to make the office kitchen a clean and friendly place.

Refrigerator rules

• Put someone in charge. That doesn't mean the person has to do the cleaning, but he or she can make sure it's done, whether it's creating the cleaning schedule or enforcing the rules, says Jodi R.R. Smith, owner of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting.

• Be courteous. Don't fill the fridge, freezer and pantry with so much food that no one else has space, says Lizzie Post, author of "How Do You Work This Life Thing?" and Emily Post's great-great granddaughter.

• Don't smash someone else's sandwich to make sure your Tupperware fits, says Post. Take the time to reorganize the contents of the fridge to make way for your containers.

• Label all food, including unopened soda cans (someone might think they are left from a meeting) and condiments, says Smith. Labels also help coworkers know who to ask if they want something that's yours, adds Post.

• If it has no label, ask around to see if you can find out who it belongs to and then ask the person if you can have it, says Post. This goes for condiments as well, whether it's mustard or skim milk for coffee.

• Don't store anything super smelly, says Smith. Someone's desk may be close to the refrigerator, which means a strong whiff in his or her direction each time the door is opened.

• Check the rules before sticking something on the fridge, such as fliers, classified ads or sign-up sheets, says Smith.

• Be responsible. If you know you are going on vacation for a week, do something with your food, whether it's taking it home or giving it away, says Post.

• Clean the fridge regularly. How often depends on how big the office is, but Smith recommends at least twice a month. Post the date and time the fridge will be cleaned out.

Coffee pot

• The rule is: If you drink the last of the coffee, make a new pot, says Jacqueline Whitmore, author of "Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work."

Microwave

• Know the rules on popcorn. Many offices have banned microwave popcorn because of the smell and the propensity to set off the smoke alarm, says Smith.

• Be conscious of other foods that have lingering smells.

• Do not cook meals in the microwave. "Office microwaves are meant for heating food — not cooking it," says April Masini, author of the advice column AskApril.com.

• When you are done microwaving, check to make sure nothing spilled. If food seeped or exploded out, clean it up immediately, says Smith. "It is much easier to do when the food is warm than after it cools and bakes to the walls," she says.

• Etiquette experts were split on one rule: Smith says people should not put their food in the microwave and walk away. Post says she sees no problem with that. But never stop the microwave while someone else is using it, she says — unless you are warding off a potential disaster.

Kitchen sink

• Do not leave dishes in the sink unless there is someone hired to wash dishes, says Smith. The rule applies to coffee mugs as well. Wash your dish after using it and put it in the drying rack immediately.

The Counter

• Throw your trash away. Make sure you are not leaving crumbs behind.

• Don't use the counter to thaw frozen food, says Whitmore. It's a cleanliness and health issue, she says.

Food Stealing

• If someone is stealing, talk to the boss and then bring it up at a staff meeting, says Smith. Say something like, "Someone is stealing my lunch and I'm going to ask that it's stopped." If you think the lunch stealer is in another department or office, ask everyone to keep their eyes and ears open.

• Get mean. Post a sign on the refrigerator door. "DO NOT TAKE FOOD OR DRINKS THAT DO NOT BELONG TO YOU!," says Whitmore. Make a decoy sandwich like egg salad and peanut butter, says Smith.

• If all else fails, there's nothing wrong with bringing a cooler, says Whitmore, who compares it to people who have a fan or heater at their desks.

"It would be a shame if it comes to that," says Whitmore. "Because that's not the point of having a community refrigerator."

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Comments

By Jan

Aug 1, 2008 9:32 PM | Link to this

Don't forget the microwave!! It's amazing to see adults heat their food uncovered and food particles fly everywhere.They walk away without cleaning up their mess. Instead of cleaning up spills, I've observed people just putting in a couple of paper towels. Like they are magic washers or something. The mess that builds up would be a great sampling for the CDC.

By Maggie

Jul 27, 2008 12:15 PM | Link to this

I am struggling with keeping the kitchen clean at work. About 30 people use the kitchen daily and there are three of us senior managers of different branches. I put out a schedule where we each clean the fridge out, wipe down appliances every month (so once every 3 months your turn would come around). Both managers squawked that they weren't consulted and what I was asking for was unreasonable!! Their suggestion is to pay the housekeeping staff extra to do this work. I'm not paying money out of my budget for what I can do in half an hour, once every three months with my staff. Now we are at lagerheads. These are people who make 6 figure salaries and are too afraid to get their hands dirty or lead by example. They haven't even checked with their staff if the schedule is acceptable. I am tired of trying to sort this out and am thinking of just doing it with my staff and hoping that some subtle peer pressure and leading by example rub off.

By Maggie

Jul 27, 2008 12:15 PM | Link to this

By Fran

Jul 27, 2008 12:14 PM | Link to this

By Erin

Jul 15, 2008 12:10 PM | Link to this

To whiners...
Are you serious? Is it beneath you to clean up after yourself? Do you have someone to wipe your rear end in the bathroom? It is not hard for people to clean up after themselves, brew fresh coffee, etc. It is part common sense and common courtesy.

My biggest pet peeve is also the coffee. I seldomly ever drink it, maybe once a month if that and usually only if I'm freezing. I have yet to walk into the break room and find two full pots of coffee. They are ALWAYS empty. So, I end up spending 5 minutes or more making new coffee.

NExt pet peeve comes when I'm making the coffee- trash on the countertops and spilled beverages on the tables. Simply THROW OUT THE PAPER and WIPE DOWN WHAT YOU SPILLED!!!

I'm so over it but I feel better. Isn't that the point of the blog? Thanks all, have a great day and CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELVES!

By CJKatl

Jul 2, 2008 2:06 PM | Link to this

The last couple offices I worked in didn't have these petty, stupid squabbles over the break room...

There was a rotating schedule for cleaning the kitchen. Two people per Friday. Reminders went up on Wednesday that anything left in the fridge on Friday would be tossed, unless someone put it on the list to be saved on the fridge. On Friday morning, the two assignees would empty the fridge, wipe it inside and out, clean the sink, the microwaves, and the coffee station. By doing it weekly, it never got overwhelming. By everyone having to do it from time to time, everyone understood the implications of getting it too filthy. So it just wasn't an issue.

Griping over the break room is really just an extension of other work problems. I guess I've been fortunate to work in places where everyone got along, and everyone understood that we were there for a common purpose - to make money for the company - and shouldn't get bogged down on trivial things.

Those of you who work for companies where this is an issue, dig deeper and fix what is really wrong. "Experts" who are telling you anything other than "live and let live" or "pay attention to the important things" really shouldn't be paid any attention. And yes, I do mean those quoted in the article.

Only you choose whether to get upset. Only you choose how to respond to kitchen issues. Griping, taking up staff meeting time and never gets everyone happy and on the same page. If there is a problem, just deal with it quickly in a way in which you have dominion and move on. Think about it - do the people doing the griping get ahead, or are the people who happily, quickly, and easily take care of a very slight issue the ones who are moved on up the organizational ladder? Who wants to work somewhere when the people are so focused on the kitchen???

Be glad you've got a job and do what you can to make your worplace as positive as possible. Making up warning signs, confronting people at staff meetings, and adopting a holier-that-though attitude about what other people might prepare in the microwave is just plain wrong office behavior. Period.

By Jen H

Jul 2, 2008 12:48 PM | Link to this

Our office has two coffee pots and people actually have the nerve to drink from the fuller one without refilling so both pots end up empty.

By Harold

Jul 2, 2008 10:28 AM | Link to this

I dislike it when the coffee pot gets low and it starts to burn. That smell is such a turn off. Shame on the person that pours that last cup and allows this to happen.

By ihorizon

Jul 2, 2008 9:30 AM | Link to this

I'd simply just remove the coffee and refrigerator. Problem solved.

By whiners

Jul 2, 2008 9:24 AM | Link to this

people should be doing there jobs and not cleaning up kitchens. if a company does not have a designated and fairly paid clean-up person, the company is showing you how much your time is really worth - that of a chamber maid or less

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