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Cake in the breakroom - a workplace eating disaster (I need your help)

9/30/2013

4 Comments

 
I got in a discussion with a client this morning which has sparked some synaptic firings that will end in me asking for YOUR FEEDBACK (so please e-mail me or post a comment below or on Facebook with your thoughts).

My conversation was about the prevalence of “shit” in the workplace.  Now, let me clarify that this was not pertaining to modern day personnel issues (that’s a topic for a whole other blog post), but to the incidence of candy, cake, cupcakes and other sweet goodies that are brought into our work environments. 

More and more I hear about the stuff that rolls through the door at peoples’ offices and as I sit here isolated in my little cave, my jaw hits the ground.   I hear the rationale behind bringing it in – leftovers from Little Johnny’s birthday party, Suzy in HR’s birthday, “Marcy was having a bad day yesterday so I thought some cupcakes would cheer her up”,  etc… then I wonder, if people can so readily consume that stuff and think that “a little treat” is okay once in a while… okay… everyday… okay, okay…. every time I walk by the tray on the table in the entranceway, what will the consumption be like if the “treats” are then deemed healthy.

Let’s take a quick break from that train of thought and look at what’s ahead of us.  Firstly there’s the devilishly sweet-friendly Halloween extravaganza in the month of October and half of November as we so conscientiously remove the candy from our house and take it to work – so sneaky!  That’s followed up by Thanksgiving feasts – “mmm, Aunt Jenny’s pecan pie is to DIE for” – you know that isn’t making it to work.  Then comes Christmas and the New Year – “I can’t wait to set those Resolutions, lose these few extra pounds and stop eating sugar”.  Oh, and if your birthday is stuck in the middle of all this, I hate to say it but you’re screwed!

All right, back to my synaptic firings.  Please don’t get me wrong, I think the act of workplace sharing and wanting to make co-workers happy is a wondrous thing and may create amazing cohesion in the workplace (it may also be related to those personnel issues mentioned above but we’ll let Suzy in HR take care of that after she snaps out of her sugar coma). 

Evidently, I don’t know about “the modern working environment” as I pretty much work alone, and I can only imagine how tough it would be to change this environment and acceptance within the workplace.   But no one ever said that change is easy!  We’ve managed to implement ‘Scent Free’ policies, nut and allergen policies and we’ve pushed smokers further and further away from the building.  So I wonder, why can't the same courtesies be applied with regards to food choices (sugar was just named above cigarettes and alcohol as the 'most addictive and dangerous substance' of our time). 

So I now ask for your help… how can the “crappy" treats be removed from workplace culture, the happiness and social dynamic brought about by sharing something “yummy” with others be maintained, and the consumption of low fat, gluten-free or organic snacks (all perceived as healthy) not go off-the-wall (and the calorie consumption exceed that previously consumed in unhealthy treats)?

(I am serious in asking for your thoughts as to what works/ might work, so please comment below, or on Facebook or drop me an e-mail with your thoughts.)

4 Comments
Mark
6/11/2014 03:04:38 am

What a bunch of body policing nonsense. This tirade completely ignores mental health, addiction, and just about every other social implication of eating food that physiologically makes people feel a certain way. 'After she snaps out of her sugar coma....' ???

This is pure arrogance here. Keep your synaptic firings and habit shaming bollocks to yourself please. If you don't want cake, don't eat it, don't adopt a saviour complex and start your war on 'crappy' treats simply because you think you know better. You need a deeper analysis.

Reply
Chris Wilmot link
6/11/2014 04:12:26 am

Thanks Mark for sharing your synaptic firings. It’s provoking thoughts and opinions like these that I encourage, and am glad to have sparked, in response to my own words.

The only “war” that I was intending to support (I believe it’s already well under way in attempts to foster “healthier” workplace environments and includes opportunities for exercise, rest, time off, etc… for employees) was that against (yes, what I feel) an environment which supports and possibly promotes the overconsumption of highly-sugared, and yes, what I feel are (although I’m certain that deeper analysis will reveal that these foods generally lack healthful ingredients) “unhealthy” snacks.

I agree that I do make some steep generalizations regarding the consumption of these and the subsequent rationalizations of these behaviours and do not address the specifics of mental health addiction – far beyond my scope of expertise. It’s definitely not the individuals that I’m (in your words) “shaming” – it’s those workplace environments which appear to be lacking a healthful approach to supporting their employees. Perhaps, in assistance to those who are living, and possibly struggling with mental health addiction, a workplace environment which does encourage a more healthful approach to communal sharing of food would prove supportive. I do make mention, although only briefly, of the positive social implications of sharing food and our innate human desire to make others happy as being very beneficial consequences.

I definitely do not believe that I am a Saviour (in my opinion there’s only one of those and HE was a big proponent of the communal meal). I am simply a guy who has some thoughts (whether they be viewed as correct or incorrect is open to interpretation) and am okay with sharing them. Evidently, I sometimes offend with the things that I say – definitely not my intention. I do apologize, however, that you saw this post as “body policing” and “habit shaming” and truly appreciate your interpretation and time taken to respond to my ramblings.

Reply
Mark
6/11/2014 07:33:27 am

There needs to be a deeper understanding of the collective issues surrounding health and consumption before your firings are put off into the world as it is severely dangerous.

Being unhappy can trigger eating, and the type of firings that involve judgmental terms over whether or not to enjoy pecan pie or have sugar in general can trigger this exact thing. It is a positive feedback loop.

People involved in the health industry (and I do mean industry as it is making a killing while preaching whats best for others often based on incomplete science) need to have a more comprehensive understanding of mental health and socio-economic factors related to health. If you are selling health products or services, it reflects badly if mental health understanding is not considered part of your expertise. If you are concerned with physical health and also food, you need to up your education level to include health as it is properly described - as a total package. Mind and body. They are not unrelated.

I know that is not your business, but you must educate yourself on these issues if you plan on selling your time as a health care professional. That and considering that fact that you charge $60 for one session of you time which is 5x more than what over %70 of Haligonians make in an hour.

You are severely well paid. People eating cake at work, for fun, should not be of any concern to you. Cake does not represent a larger health issue. IF anything it only represents body size - which has been shown to not correlate to any particular health concern (that has to do with cholesterol, arterial health, etc., as I am sure you know). Hence, it all just seems to be a way to make larger people or folks who like to eat feel like garbage.

This is why I use the term 'shaming,' everyone else's bodies should not be your business. Not the size nor the free will they exercise in what they eat....none of it.

I realize that is problematic for you though, being as that peoples bodies are literally your business - they should, however, not be your concern. When eating cake or pie at work becomes an actual problem worth of a blog post, societal pressures will address it. Like they did with scents, or allergies, or smoking. In the meantime, collect your cheques and don't project your judgements on a slice of pie to alleviate the dreary shit people go through at work.

Chris Wilmot
6/11/2014 08:15:40 am

You continue to miss the main point of this blog post… promotion of healthier workplace environments, and have become consumed with particular topics near and dear to your heart - body shape and size, mental health issues and pecan pie.
Feel free to connect with me directly if you’d like to further this conversation offline. We can exchange credentials formally, swap scientific evidence about the healthfulness of food, and I’ll even share a piece of pie with you – we can take a selfie and log it on MyFitnessPal. You’ve researched my rates, therefore you know how to get in touch.

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