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Totally Random...
I was drinking a Vitamin Water at work and my boss gave me a lecture about how I shouldn't because she considers them unhealthy.
I laughed it off by saying, "yeah, they taste pretty bad, too, but since I had an upset stomach the doctor told me to have this." That was true, they contain electrolytes so you don't get dehydrated. My boss was very insistent so clearly I have to hide my food and drink from her.
I told DH about this because I thought it was way over the line. He thinks Americans behave like that (i.e. telling others what is healthy or criticizing their diet), and it happens to him all the time. I think that you can tell your family/spouse/BFF that, but really not someone at work.
Just wondering: is this a common behavior I just never noticed before? What's your take? Normal concern or crossing boundaries?
Re: Totally Random...
My boss told me I should stop eating homemade mac and cheese because "it's just full of calories."
It's not just you.
Books read in 2012: 21/50
If I really want fast food and cave at lunch to get it, my boss has given me dirty looks and made comments about it. Since I sit right outside her office, I feel like I need to smuggle my bad food in to avoid that.
This. I do this to myself all the time, but I would never remark on someone's food choices since I wouldn't want someone to say it to me?
Wow! There are some rude people out there!
I guess I've just been lucky in the past. I've mostly worked in larger companies where I think people are more hands off. And all my other bosses have been guys, who I think are much less conscious about food anyway, and it was normal for them to get McDonald's for lunch or come in hungover lol!
Actually, the hospital that I work for has started cracking down on people's personal habits. Starting this year they are not hiring anyone who smokes, and those who already work for the hospital chain who smoke will be "strongly urged" to attend cessation classes. Then for our health insurance we had to fill out an online questionnaire which asks questions like what you eat, how much of it, do you smoke, do you drink, etc. And we had to get a health exam done and submit it to HR. If we didn't comply we would be charged an extra $25 per pay check for our health insurance. We were told that down the road that they will start making diabetics get their A1-C (blood test) done and if it's elevated they will have to pay more for health insurance. They sort of foreshadowed that in a few years anyone with a BMI over a set number will also have to pay more for insurance.
They have also in the past month taken out all of the vending machines from the hospital. They replaced them with drink machines that only serve water and diet soda, and snack machines that have "healthy" choices. So while their intention is to have healthier employees, doing it by shoving it down our throats is causing a bit of a controversy. Plus those of us that work at night need some caffeine when we get sleepy at 3am. I see what their intention is, but a lot of people feel over regulated.
Temurlang - While I do see this kind of thing happen occasionally, I think it's waaaay out of line. Especially since it was your boss, who has "rank" and really needs to speak with authority only on work-related matters. But even a non-boss... yeah, outta line.
Blah!
I work in an environment where that would never happen. But I once watched a woman (rudely) walk up to a stranger in a grocery store and tell her what she was buying would give her a heart attack. It's like eating right has become a binding, moral issue or something.
Seriously? Diet soda is not healthy! That's one of my beefs with this overbearing behavior... there often isn't even consensus over what constitutes "healthy." Sigh.
I have heard of more hospitals doing this though.
Yeah, I don't like that... none of us know what someone's reasons are for their choices. But I admit I do check out other people's groceries and sometimes wonder what kind of meals those particular items could possibly form lol!
DH's company has something kind of like this, except they've framed it the other way around, meaning that we get a discount on our insurance for healthy choices and taking their surveys. Also, the assessments are done by the insurance provider, not HR, all of which is better than your situation. And I think that's soooo invasive to have to do that through HR! I would appreciate having healthy choices offered at work, but at the same time, as an adult I should be able to decide what is healthy for me. Your work is taking the choice out of it, and it's natural you would resent that.