Proper office snacking etiquette

During a long day at the office, you need some tasty treats to help you keep up that energy. Here are ways to not annoy your colleagues when you reach for your snack.

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Regardless of where you work, everyone has a rough time getting through a full day without completely feeling wiped out. So, we snack.

With the holiday season upon us, it seems like every day there is a large pile of tasty treats that flow into the office, begging to be eaten.

Sometimes office snack behavior can get out of control. So, before you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar, check out my top three Quick and Dirty Tips for workplace snack etiquette:

Tip 1: The communal snack area

Many offices have a designated snack area. Sometimes it’s in the kitchen, or in an empty cube no one is using, or even just a small bowl on the boss’s desk. Snack areas are the office version of tailgating. People bring in treats and next thing you know, it’s an all-out party.

“What about that 10 a.m. conference call?”

“Nah, who cares? JoAnn brought in homemade cupcakes!”

Remember, we are adults, not toddlers at a birthday party, and the office is a place of business, not Golden Corral on “All You Can Eat Tuesdays.”

But with snacks come wrappers or plates or napkins or utensils—in short, a lot of trash.

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