How to Eat in Your Cubicle

Stay attuned to coworkers to avoid bothering others in cubicles.

The use of cubicles for office employees to work in has become a common workplace practice. Cubicles present a daily challenge to the employees working within them, with every sound and smell easily drifting amongst every cubicle. While eating at your desk may effectively increase your production, eat in your cubicle carefully to avoid offending or bothering coworkers. With attention to when and what you eat, you should be able to eat in your cubicle without disturbing other employees.

Instructions

1. Choose an eating time when many or most of your coworkers are away from their cubicles, for best results. Even when you choose your food items carefully, you risk bothering others with the smells and sounds of your eating.

2. Avoid foods with strong scents like onion and garlic. Do not eat foods with odors that will fill the entire work area. Avoid crunchy foods like chips, crackers and crunchy fruits and vegetables.

3. Eat cold foods, if possible. Warm foods, either take-out from restaurants or food you reheated in a microwave, tend to release many more smells into the air. A sandwich or tortilla wrap with cold ingredients will not fill the air with smells.

4. Minimize eating noises like slurping, chewing and burping. Coworkers nearby will hear these eating noises. Eat neatly, taking small bites and wiping your mouth.

5. Clean up your food trash immediately after you finish eating. Throw away disposable containers and papers in a break-room trashcan, if possible, to keep your cubicle clean and free of lingering odors. If you have dishes to take back home, rinse them out and put them away in your cooler or lunch bag.

References

• Etiquette Scholar: Eating at Work
• Intercom; Cubicle Etiquette; Gary M. Smith; February 2006