‘I am practically walking on eggshells’: Woman writes colleague ‘nasty’ notes and slams office doors to intimidate them for reheating food in their break room

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
May 24, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

When you work in person and share spaces with your colleagues, you won't always have the privacy you desire all of the time. That's the great thing about working amongst other individuals: You learn how to coexist in a small space with others and develop good manners and etiquette. Those who struggle with sharing spaces better get used to the fact that a microwave in the break room will be used and emit food smell from time to time, and if they have an issue with it, well, deal with it. 

In this next story, an employee explains a situation happening between themselves and their coworker who refuses to leave them alone about reheating food in the middle of the day. The woman who complains does not complain about anyone else—just this employee. She's gone so far as to slam doors and write the employee intimidating letters about their supposedly impolite behavior, but the employee refuses to be a target of her intimidation. Scroll to read.

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  • It'd be a different story if the woman in question complained about everyone who reheats their food, but the complaints are clearly targeted at the employee. They've done nothing wrong, yet HR refuses to do anything concrete about the situation.

  • TRACK&MMEN "Nothing but my hashbrown bothers her."
    via Kenny Eliason for Unsplash

  • "My coworker is now creating a toxic hostile environment over my food that does not bother anyone but her. How do I handle this?"

    Am I in the wrong here? I am in a small space with only 4-5 coworkers. This meaning the breakroom is in the corner of the office. All of my coworkers have
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  • their own office with a door and windows. Me however and unfortunately sits the common area in a cubicle beside our break
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  • area. I would toast up my hashbrown late in the morning as a mini breakfast/snack while I work. One of my coworkers complains about it by leaving me
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  • nasty notes, huffing about it for everyone to hear, and proceed to slam her door. She proceeded to tell me to eat elsewhere or beforehand...sorry I am not
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  • typically hungry earlier in the morning. I tried to help by opening the balcony door to air it out, but she proceeded to slam doors and leaving me nasty
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  • notes. I suggested to her just close her door and open her window until it lingers away...l mean it's a hashbrown not fish or anything gagging that will sit for
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  • hours. One of our other coworkers heats up Indian food and nothing but my hashbrown bothers her. The fact I am the one that sits in the common area
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  • and not complain about anything, and she proceeds to expects me to cater to her when I can only do so much in the position I am in. I have no privacy to even have a
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  • simple private phone call. While she slams her door she phones someone to complain about me. I went to HR already about her and have requested for my own office to avoid her but so far nothing. Am I in the wrong here?
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    via Resume Genius for Unsplash

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • I want to add I am practically walking on eggshells practically scare to use the break room to eat anything. I had skipped eating
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  • all together to avoid the aggression. I am a former law enforcement worker, so loud noises trigger my PTSD. Again, I had already voice this to HR and nothing has been done.
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  • Hudre Record her slamming the door and then go to HR about their aggressive behavior.
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  • Electronic-Bite-6044 You did nothing wrong. She is being unreasonable and unprofessional.
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  • Stock-Cod-4465 I'd be warming up a hash brown every hour in the morning. F her. Don't know why you entertain her by walking on eggshells. Pfft.
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  • Wickedb hoftheuk A hashbrown? You need to up your game. Something really smelly next.
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