Office Karen picks a fight with coworker for making too many elaborate lunches: 'She doesn't have a right to demand that'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jun 28, 2024 2:00 PM EDT

This Karen had the audacity to tell her coworker to stop making great lunches…

Of course, the root of this was envy, which is the root of so many office conflicts we have covered here at FAIL Blog. In this instance, however, the Karen coworker was the spouse of another employee at the company, who is on the same team as the coworker who cooks well and often makes extra food for her teammates. It's not that the Karen wanted some of the extra food herself. It's that she felt threatened by her coworker's cooking skills… as if her husband were going to leave her over these office lunches.

Now, it's quite possible that the husband made comments to his wife that were uncalled for and unfair, but of course, instead of calling her husband out on his nonsense, the Karen decided to blame her coworker's cooking skills as the real source of her marital problems. Let this story serve as another reason not to work with your spouse, and if you do, to leave your personal troubles at home.

For more stories like this, check out this post about another Karen's antics at the movie theater.

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  • 01
    "Coworker demands I stop bringing 'elaborate' meals to the office."
    via Engin Akyurt
  • 02
    Coworker Demands I Stop Bringing "Elaborate" Meals To The Office.
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 03
    I moved cities 6 months ago, and my new job site has a 12 hour shift system (8am to 8pm or 8pm to 8am). And since I have a very high metabolism and am a total foodie, I have been packing a lot of food from home. (breakfast, 2 snacks, lunch or 2 dinner and baked goods for tea time)
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 04
    I usually eat with my team (4 people), and they get their meals from the on-site cafeteria. I share my meals with them because I love feeding people and I pack extra.
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 05
    But then I got a call from another coworker, one whose husband is part of my team. She works in our opposing shift.
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 06
    This lady was agressive from the get go, demanding that I stop bringing my elaborate meals, and that I should just get what the cafeteria is serving like everyone else.
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 07
    I was firm and said that I was not going to change my habits, and that she doesn't have a right to demand that.
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 08
    Then she went on a rant of how her husband has been comparing her to me (cooking, presentability, cheer is what she mentioned) and complaining for the last 6 months. I admit I felt bad for her (it appears that EW has an EH)
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 09
    So I said that those kinds of issues should be discussed with her husband not with me. But I said again that I will continue bringing food from home.
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 10
    Then she called me a b and hung up on me. I know it is mild compared to some stories on here, but it was suggested to me to share on here too.
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 11
    SnowWhiteCampCat I used to work long shifts in a factory. Husband worked from home and loved cooking so he made me fancy meals to take every day. People straight up hated me for it. I didn't care. My lunch was awesome!
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 12
    cavyndish This is a human resources problem. Talk to HR about the issue and let them deal with the husband and his wife. If this happened at my work with my wife, I would be reprimanded over my wife's actions.
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 13
    [deleted] ⚫ Fill the husband in on every detail. Then tell him that because of the drain on your productivity, you will no longer be feeding him. Nothing personal, just business. You can't spend all day answering phone calls from angry spouses.
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 14
    Storm Lady OP. No way am I involving myself anymore in their mess. I'm just going to start bringing enough for me and saying that I just can't keep lugging in extra containers.
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 15
    iamthenightrn. This is an HR issue. You are a grown adult, you are allowed to bring food however you want and share it with whomever you want.
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 16
    She doesn't get to tell you what to eat, what to bring, how to eat it, and she certainly doesn't get to call you AT WORK and tell you what you're allowed to eat, and then call you a
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 17
    You are absolutely right, this is 100% a husband and wife matter. But she just made it a you and HR matter. I would definitely report this just so like others have said if it escalates there's a trail, especially since you're a newer employee there.
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 18
    Definitely not the able in this situation though. Sorry you're dealing with this.
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 19
    P.S: Something similar happened with my fiance's last job. I always made his meals, always packed extra because he worked anywhere from 8 to 16 hours a day they had a lot of mandatory overtime and it was last minute you found out the day of. So on days when he had too much food he always shared with one of his buddies. His wife, who also worked there on a different shift, made a comment about how "it must be nice she can cook like this for you all the time, I just don't have the time!"
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 20
    Apparently the look on her face resembled sucking on lemons when my fiance told her I was a nurse. She had mistakenly assumed that I didn't work. Apparently this isn't a really uncommon issue?
    via u/Storm_Lady
  • 21
    Storm Lady OP. Yes exactly. My mom faced it too, she is a teacher and when our neighbour's sife was away mom used to send him food. His wife was upset when she found out
    via u/Storm_Lady

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karens workplace-stories entitled parents work stories toxic-workplace job work coworkers karens in the wild entitled reddit thread Reddit company karen entitled people toxic-work-environment
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