Redditor Faces Off With Co-Worker Over Microwave Hogging Due To Her Frozen Meals, Lands In Hot Water With HR For Requesting She Changes Her Lunch

“She keeps holding up the line with her 10-minute meals! How am I at fault?”

Jesse

• Published in Interesting
• November 23, 2023

In the lively hustle and bustle of this quarter, our narrator (Original Poster) was caught in a wave of change that swept through their medical clinic. 

The director decided to shake up their daily routine by implementing a new lunchtime decree. All full-time staff were to observe lunch breaks between 12.30 and 1.30 pm.

The intention was to create a more synchronized schedule, but OP wasn’t the biggest fan of this new change. 

While some of their co-workers patronized the numerous restaurants nearby, OP opted to stick with the good old homemade lunch. And for this, they required the break room microwave. 

Enter Jessica, a co-worker whose escapades with the office microwave were about to turn lunch breaks into a full-blown drama.

Jessica had a penchant for frozen meals. She was strategically nestled near the break room, so she always had the honor of heating her meals before anyone else.

The problem was - her rock-solid frozen lunches took ages to heat up. This cut into their already limited break window. 

Fed up with endless 10-minute microwave marathons, OP dared to nudge Jessica towards considering quicker meal options. But Jessica wasn't having it! 

Not only did she take offense, but her trusty sidekick labeled OP a "Jerk" and insisted that no one else minded the wait.

The following day, OP woke up to an email from HR demanding he apologize for his “inconsiderate” request.

Initially, OP saw nothing wrong with their request. This message, however, forced them to ponder: were they truly in the wrong?

Let’s dig into the details

A bit of background

OP confronted Jessica about her frozen meals, which take too long to heat

OP woke up to an email urging them to apologize for their “inconsiderate” request

Here’s how the Reddit community reacted to the story:

“Hogging the microwave for 10 minutes when there are people waiting to heat up their food is excessive.“

“NTA. She's taking up a significant amount of time and causing other people to lose their break.”

“I second going to HR and telling them your side. You didn't make an inconsiderate comment.”

“That frozen meal probably can be safely left in the refrigerator in the morning.“

“If they expect everyone to take lunch at the same time they need to buy another microwave.“

“YTA. You cannot police a microwave or what someone eats.”

“I'm shocked that HR and your boss would come to a decision without chatting with you first.“

”You could easily bring something that doesn’t require heating.”

“She's right, this isn't her problem to fix. You should have asked management for another microwave.“

“I'd be asking HR why before sending you any email they didn't get your side of the story/situation first.

Redditors suggest OP visit HR to narrate their side of the story—who knows the tales Jessica must have spun? The request was far from inconsiderate. 

They propose an apology, possibly on the grounds of upsetting Jessica, but make it clear they don't feel the request was unreasonable.

Perhaps the office should consider getting a second microwave.

What do you think about this story? Let us know in the comments.

Jesse