Ask Me Help Desk - Leftovers in the office

My workplace houses corporate offices as well as warehouse employees. Recently, when the corporate executives and office personnel finished with a catered lunch, they took the leftovers to the break room and put them on a table for anyone who wanted them. The employees from the warehouse were insulted. They generally felt that they should have ordered enough for everyone and invited them to eat when the food was fresh or the leftovers should have been disposed of in another manner. After all, they are not human garbage disposals as one of them stated. I have been reluctant to say anything before getting another opinion. I feel that the food should not have been placed there for the warehouse employees because that is not the way to share. When I share, I share from the top, not from what I have left over. My question is how should the message be communicated to the exec's that no one wants their leftovers? The fact that no one ate the leftovers is not enough as the exec's generally never enter the break room so they did not see the food go into the trash at the end of the day.

I'd probably react in a bad way. Leaving half eaten cheeseburgers and half drank cokes, etc. on their cars, in their offices, and the places where only the execs go. But hey, I'm a prankster when I'm miffed.

I'd suggest you write an anonymous letter to the top exec where you work. Mail it with no return address and express yourself (and your co-workers feelings) just like you did here. I'd suggest you try a little "sugar" telling him or her that you know they were trying to be thoughtful, but people were offended because they were excluded from the food initially and upset at being treated like second class employees.

Actually it is not uncommom in larger corp for office and management to have their own luncheons and meals.

And they did not even have to give any of this food to them to start with.

The warehouse workers should thank them for what they got, since they were not promised anything at all.

They are merely being selfish and should be ashamed of thierself for not being thankful for what they got, and mad for what they did not get

I've worked in offices where the managers or other departments had a lunch meeting or whatever & instead of throwing out the leftovers, they shared with the rest of the office. I seriously doubt it was 1/2 eaten cheeseburgers, at least I hope not.

I think leaving them for everyone else was meant to be a good gesture & the warehouse workers should get over it. I don't know what the reason for the lunch was or why they were left out, but I'm assuming it wasn't meant to be cruel. It's probably just a department thing.

Thanks everyone for the input. Unfortunately, the scraps happened to be the leftovers from a BBQ luncheon. What was left was pickles, peppers, onions, beans, cole slaw and potato salad that had been room temperature for hours before being left in the break room after 3:00 pm. No meat was left. Although there is a division between warehouse employees and exec, this is not a situation where the warehouse employees make $8.00-$15/hour. I think the warehouse employees would have been more receptive in a situation like that but that is not the case.

My concern is what happens if you get involved. Say something and make someone upset? Are you an exec or someone who was part of the luncheon or are you one of the people on the work floor? In this situation, I would just leave it alone, walk away knowing that what they did might not have been 100% right, but still maintaining your dignity in the workplace. If you do go to the execs and say something, are there others that will back you up. Probably not... in my experience it seems that people like to complain, but when it is time for those complaints to be heard, suddenly everything is OK again.

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Originally Posted by Tuscany

My concern is what happens if you get involved. Say something and make someone upset?...in my experience it seems that people like to complain, but when it is time for those complaints to be heard, suddenly everything is ok again.

Exactly why I suggested you write an anonymous letter (type it and don't handwrite it) with no return address IF you take any action at all. You can always deny that if they go on a witch hunt for it.