Offices are full of different kinds of people coming together to achieve a shared goal. People may not always get along because their styles of thinking, their opinions, and their actions may differ from each other, which can be the source of conflict.
This is what happened in one organization where a woman with strict dietary needs decided to take over the shared microwave. She refused to take other people’s wants into consideration and kept playing the tyrant. Eventually, she turned into a laughing stock at work.
More info: Reddit
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The poster mentioned that they have one common microwave in their breakroom and that people could use it on a ‘first-come first-serve’ basis, that is, until Michelle joined
When the poster went to heat up their food, Michelle threw a fit and claimed that she had reserved the microwave from 12:30-1:00pm due to her dietary needs
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Michelle claimed her nutritionist told her to eat a hot meal at 12:45pm daily, or else it would affect her digestion, which is why she had to be the only one to use the microwave
Michelle’s tyranny over the microwave continued for a while until Human Resources issued a warning
When it comes to workplaces, everyone is entitled to use the shared appliances, whether that includes desks, computers, microwaves, or any other items. People like Michelle, who feel entitled to such devices, might end up causing a lot of resentment among their colleagues. It can be especially difficult if they make a fuss over the issue.
To understand more about this situation, We reached out to Syndi Seid. She is a global etiquette expert, author, and founder of Advanced Etiquette. She told us that “everything in life is a learned skill, and regrettably, over the past decades, our humanity in knowing how to show respect, consideration, compassion, and love to ourselves and others has been eroding.”
“Everyone has to learn to be fair, kind, respectful, and considerate of all situations, no matter the specific situation, keeping in mind that what goes around comes around. We must all learn to care enough about the items we use to maintain them well for our own use and for others in the future,” she added.
The folks who leave dirty dishes in the sink or seize control of things that aren’t theirs might be doing the same thing at home. It’s important to make them understand that the way they behave in their personal life is not appropriate for the workplace.
Michelle tried to excuse her controlling behavior by telling people that she had strict dietary needs. She explained that she needed to block a time slot for the microwave because her nutritionist had urged her to have a hot meal by 12:45, or else it would mess with her digestion. Nobody in the office believed her tall claims.
When people have such severe dietary restrictions, it might be challenging for them to figure out how to deal with them in the workplace. The best way to go about it is to let people know about your challenges, but not make it their problem. That way, people can still be respectful of your needs, without being inconvenienced by them.
The OP took issue with the fact that Michelle didn’t allow anyone else to use the microwave for the 30-minute slot that she had booked, even if she wasn’t using the device. Her reasoning was that she was prepping her stomach, which, of course, made people feel even more resentful toward her.
When it comes to toxic behavior like this in the office, it’s important not to brush it under the rug or ignore it because that can signal to the person that it’s okay to continue what they are doing. Rather, one should talk to the culprit directly and lay out all the facts as calmly and objectively as possible.
Syndi also mentioned that “as a team member/employee, most matters that affect everyone are not items any person should tackle. Instead, this is a matter for management to resolve. Report the situation to management in a reasonable tone (not ranting and complaining) to resolve.”
She also explained that “one amicable way to resolve the situation of a person needing the use of a microwave for long periods of time is for management to allow the person to bring in their own microwave for their sole use. This way, the employee can take it with them to any other place of employment within the same company or elsewhere.”
In case the person refuses to own up to their behavior, it is best to take action by documenting their offenses. Keeping a record will help you stay objective, and it will also be something you can show to the management or people in charge so that they can take the case further.
In this situation, when Human Resources found out that Michelle was unplugging the microwave just so that people couldn’t use it, they gave her a warning. That also made other colleagues feel a bit more relaxed about the fact that they weren’t overreacting to her actions, and then they could joke about it.
Have you ever dealt with an overbearing coworker like this? We’d love to hear your hilarious or shocking work horror stories.
Netizens shared a bunch of creative and hilarious suggestions on how to take petty revenge on Michelle for her microwave hoarding behavior
