Do you hide your lunch box in your office? How many times you entered your Workplace and found someone eating on his desk, you may also be among them. Eating in the office can often be an option to get some snacks at work and boost your energy. As your professional image counts, today's article will be about eating in your office. Let's check it out.

To Eat or Not to Eat?

Eating at offices is mainly prohibited in some fields. Employees have coffee breaks and lunchtime breaks. So, there is no room for having an additional meal at work. Some companies allow snacks between meals. This option might cause you to avoid it, as it might bother employees around you. That's why you should consider eating etiquette in the office room that will make you more classy and organized. Here is how you should eat in your office:

Arrange an Eating Corner:

Of course, you will not pour your meal on the company's official documents. You should instead specify an eating corner. Just take a small table or shelf, where you can put your meal and your eating items. If you share your office with more than one employee, you should arrange this place together or go out to the company's cafeteria to have food. You may also read; How to Do Effective Communication in the Workplace? Try 11 Simple Methods

Do not Bring a Spicy and Smelling Food:

You can not hide the smell of your food if you are using strong detergents. That's why it is better to bring a less spiced up food and add your spicing sauce later. This type of food is not really recommended in the workplace culture. Your colleagues in the office may be polite, not to mention that the smell of your food makes them feel nauseous. But, they already think you are a careless person. So avoid the flavors you are cooking with and eat moderate neutral food. If you are not an office friendly person, here is; The Best Non Desk Jobs That Pay More than $20 per Hour

Moderately respond to Yummy Offers:

If someone offers you fresh or homemade cakes, take just one. You can contribute in return a cup of tea or a coffee. Your consummation should be moderate. It would be best to share the whole meal with your colleague every time a food can is open. 

If you are at a company's party, and the office manager has provided a self-service buffet, you should not start packing large food containers and take them to your home with you. It would be best if you filled your dish the same way your colleagues did at the party. Here are Friends in the Workplace - Do and Don'ts of Partying with Coworkers

Office Kitchen Rules:

If there's a kitchen in your office, stick to these commandments:

-Don't put smelly foods in the microwave. The smell lasts forever, even if the microwave was wiped with a detergent.

-Cover your food and put your name in your food container before storing it at the company's fridge. If your food is splashed in the microwave, make sure you clean it before someone uses it after. The same should be done to the bread toaster; make sure you remove the burned bread corners you used from it.

-Respect the limited space of the shared refrigerator, and do not store a large number of water bottles. Make sure everything you keep in the fridge doesn't drip any liquid or sauce from it. Close your food cans well.

-Do not cook your food in the kitchen's company. This kitchen is just used for warming up your food and not for entirely cooking it.

-Clean whatever you have used in the kitchen. It is not the company's workers who are going to clean after you. 

-You can share the food preparation process with your colleague. To avoid daily food preparations, you can arrange the expenses with your colleague and agree on your cook for both of you one day, and the next day will be your friend's turn. This will be a very economical option, as well.

- use the lunch break time to socialize with your colleagues, build relationships, and this will reduce your work tension.

Stick to the Eating Etiquettes:

We often avoid eating at the desk, especially since many consider it inappropriate. But what to do if you have to? The solution is to follow the eating rules at work so that no one gets annoyed.

1.Donot Make Noise While Eating:

It would be best if you ate quietly. If you have to eat at the desk, try not to draw attention to you while eating. Do not make sounds while chewing. Do not pick up food from the ground and eat it.

2. Keep the Place Clean:

Once you have finished your snack, clean up the slices of food, you might leave it on your desk. Don't forget to get rid of the bags and paper that wrapped the food away from the office.

3.Donot Gossip, Comment, or Judge 

Avoid commenting on what your colleagues are eating or how they eat. Lunchtime is not an occasion to judge others and comment on their eating habits. A meal is not a sign of poverty or luxury. So, don't limit this break to useless conversations. Here is How to Deal with Difficult Colleagues?

4. Don't Insist on a Specific Person to Have Lunch with You:

It is good to have friends at work and invite your colleagues to eat with you from time to time. This will develop your professional ties and show that you are a good and humble person and will reflect positively on you in different ways. But, indicating specific care towards a particular employee is not a sign of innocence. 

These were eating etiquettes in your office with colleagues. If you find this article helpful in shaping your work life, share it with friends.