office candy jar - am i out of line?

ebm1224

so here's the situation: i'm a part time receptionist in an office and there's this candy jar. it sits literally a foot away from my face, taunting me all day long. sometimes i ignore it successfully but other days it gets to me and i cave (like today).

the thing is that the only people i ever see eat any of the candy employees and others that are in the building frequently (the mailman for example).

do you think it would be out of line to send an email to the office manager and suggest healthier snack alternatives? or is this just an issue that i should shut up and deal with (use it as an opportunity to develop discipline?).

kittyloo123

what about if you move it a little. Like out of your line of sight?

Elzecat

can it go live on someone else's desk?

I don't think it would be out of line, maybe suggest some healthier options

bjclaywell

Is it possible to move it across the room? I know in my office, we keep red licorice in a jar on the reception desk. When I have to sit up there, I take the jar and place it on the side table across the little sitting room area. That way, I can't just grab it, it's not as tempting, and I have to exert energy and step away from reception to get to it...

Drives our regular receptionist nuts if I forget to move it back.

McKayMachina

It's probably not even a big deal. Just ask.

millesun

How about you get some sugar free candy to add to the jar? That's what I did at my work.

cdngirl71

I would move it somewhere else away from your desk or area. I had something like that when I moved to another position and they always had candy on the desk before I arrived, I just moved it to the other side of the room. No one has said anything about it being moved elsewhere.

Maggiethu

Ask to get rid of it entirely! Unless its a special occasion, candy is so not necessary. You'll be promoting health at work!

wonnder1

It wouldn't be out of line to move it to another table. Office politics--I wouldn't waste your bosses time with the question frankly.

Just put it back at the end of the day.

KeepOnMoving

I have the same problem at work too. One can play head games: Think that candy belongs to someone else. They didn't offer it to you but to people who come visit the office (guest.) Not the people who work there. It doesn't belong to you. It is to be saved for the "guests" only. Taking it would be like "stealing" without paying.

Sounds silly but whatever works....

maserati185

Hmmmmm. Maybe you could bring in your own healthy/healthIER snacks (?kettle popcorn, craisins, nuts, carrots & dip) AND move the jar somewhere not so right in sight. It's different knowing about it near by... compared to seeing it all of the time.
It really depends on your boss. But I tend to avoid potentially-conflicting conversations with bosses at all costs. So it also depends on you and how troublesome you are finding it.

xraychick77

nope..not out of line at all.

i find myself in similar situations at work also.
i work in a hospital, third shift..and often times when i come in, someone has brought donuts or cakes or other such nasties. its a big joke..like tonight when i walked in and saw cake..i told one co worker either someone eats this or takes it home, otherwise its getting thrown away. and she laughed and told me that is exactly what another coworker said you would say. ya it got thrown away. BUT, for them being nice, they did bring in a veggie plate specifically for me..so that was nice..see they know, and its just will power on my part, but my bosses and co workers know i am a vegetarian who is watchful of my diet. so they think about me.

so perhaps its not so bad letting your boss know that a healthy alternative could be good...

ps as long as you dont sound pushy or telling others they should eat healthy, i dont see why they'd have a prob you asking

wolfchild59

I'd say that unless it's your jar, that you're in charge of, leave it alone. Just don't eat out of it yourself, but a lot of people like having a little bit of sweet/candy as a treat in their day and just because you are making a lifestyle change doesn't mean the entire office has to.

I'm a supervisor with a team of people that work their *kitten* off all day and sometimes just want something little. So I leep a jar with different treats in it. Right now it's Dum Dums lollipops. The other supervior on our team has a jar of Jolly Ranchers on her desk. I don't eat from either jar, I have my own stash of snacks in my desk drawer that I can dip into if I need something. And I have peppermint gum for days I'm feeling "weaker" than others.

But our teams love having the treats and when they aren't there, they comment. Just because I don't eat what's in the jars, doesn't mean I'm not going to keep 'em filled. And there's another drawer that the entire team has access to that we often keep healthier snacks in as well, if people prefer that option, but it's always the sweeter stuff that goes first.

Just consider it a test of your willpower and think about how much stronger it's making you every time you don't reach for the sugar.

lacroyx

"Control you must learn control!" -Yoda, Jedi Master


I work graveyard so everyday when my shift ends I get assualted with fresh doughnuts peeps bring in for the morning shift. Over time I was able to resist tempation.