More than half of the staff at my office are away from the office today, they are at a company sponsored event that involves water, lots of food and tons of fun to be had. Some of us chose to stay behind and get caught up on work. I stayed because I didn’t feel like spending a whole tank of gas that I can barely afford to put in my car for necessary trips. I certainly couldn’t blow several days worth of gas to go and have fun! *sigh*
Anyway, as a consolation, they ordered in for us the same barbecue feast they are having at the event. There was so much good food that I’m sure no amount of weight loss pills can compensate for today’s calorie intake. So the food was good, and it was free.
That’s not the point of this post though. I think, no matter how generous your employer is and no matter how laid back their attitude is, employees still should show some decorum. We had several people who started packing up the food for them to take home before everyone even finished eating. I was the one embarrassed for them because they didn’t seem to be bothered that everyone was looking sideways at them. Or could it be they didn’t notice? Of course, they later offered that people take the left overs home so they wouldn’t go to waste but I just thought the people who jumped the gun were rude. Is that the right word to describe them?
Bottom line is, after the fun and everyone is full, everyone goes back to their desks and it’s back to business again. But those same people who were looking at you sideways, and some of them are in positions of power, while you were packing away dinner for five just so you won’t have to cook this evening, will remember how crassly you behaved next time they have to choose someone to recommend for a promotion or a raise. And no, they won’t look at your behavior as a sign that you don’t let anything go to waste.
