employee might give me drugs for Christmas, the office couple decided to swap jobs, and more by Alison Green on December 23, 2024 I’m on vacation. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. My employee might give me drugs for Christmas I’m a manager of a the warehouse team at our company and earlier today a member of the sales team who reports to me and who I have a good rapport with asked me if I smoke pot. It’s legal here and I admitted that I have in the past, and the sales rep immediately said, “Great, I wasn’t sure what to get you for Christmas.” If this employee gives me pot, should I accept or is there a polite way to decline this offer? I don’t smoke anymore but I don’t want to appear ungrateful and I certainly don’t want to ask for a different present. If you’re in the U.S., marijuana is still illegal under federal law, even if it’s legal in your state … and you shouldn’t accept gifts from employees that either or both of you could go to jail for. That’s not about being ungrateful — it’s about the fact that as a manager you can’t condone or appear to condone breaking the law at work. Hopefully your employee has better judgment than to really give you Christmas weed, but if they do, you can reply, “I can’t accept this and really need to pretend it didn’t happen.” And if they’re bringing it on to company property, that’s a whole additional issue — enough of one that you might be wise to head it off before then with something like, “I’m guessing that was a joke earlier — but if it wasn’t, definitely don’t give that to me or any coworkers here.” – 2019 2. Sharing an office when people are fasting I am the supervisor of a team of four (counting myself). I have been a member of this team for 10 years, while the other three have only been here one to four years. The four of us share a tiny office that’s really not meant for more than two people, so we are pretty much all up in each other’s personal space all day, but we’ve developed a pretty great working relationship. All three of my teammates are Muslim and take their religion seriously. It is currently Ramadan, meaning they are all fasting from sunrise to sunset. I always try to be very respectful of this, and try not to eat or drink anything in our shared office, but as a regular water drinker, it’s difficult. I’ve gotten in the habit of going to the water cooler every so often and chugging a plastic cup of water because I feel as though I can’t keep my usual bottle of water on my desk during the day. I also always eat lunch at my desk, at the same time every day, and they all know this, but I feel like it’s unfair for me to do so when they are fasting, even though they’ve said it doesn’t bother them. Everyone in our office suite uses a conference room to have lunch together at noon each day, and I cover the receptionist during this time. I always take lunch when she comes back at 12:30, but the conference rooms are in use then which is why I eat at my desk. The only other option would be to eat outside (which isn’t doable in bad weather) or to go the campus cafeteria, which results in my spending most of the half hour break just looking for a place to sit. I guess I’m just wondering am I going too far out of my way? I’m trying to be respectful of the fact that they can’t eat or drink anything during the day during this holy time, but at what point can I say it’s my office too and not feel guilty about having a cup of coffee and my peanut butter and jelly sandwich at my desk? You are being really thoughtful and considerate here, but I think you’re probably taking it too far. I agree that if you can easily avoid eating in front of people who are fasting, that’s a kind thing to do, but I definitely don’t think you need to take it as far as not drinking anything at your own desk — and if they’re assuring you that food is fine too, it’s okay to take them at their word. It sounds like you’ve made it very clear to them that you want to be thoughtful and accommodating — which is lovely — and you have good relationships with each other, so I think you’re safe assuming that they mean it when they tell you it’s fine! I still would probably not spread out a whole buffet of exotic fruits and fancy cheeses and cakes across your desk, but it sounds fine to eat a PB&J in the same space as them. – 2018 3. Our annual evaluations want to rate our “boldness” I’ve worked for company for five years. Each year they change the annual evaluation procedure, usually adding questions about goals we never set or new objectives or values we’ve never discussed before. Here are some of the ways I’ve been asked to evaluate myself this year: “You stand tall in the face of adversity, are willing to voice an opinion and are firm in upholding company values. Rate how you have achieved your accomplishments by being bold.” The other questions ask me to rate how I achieved my accomplishments by being innovative, collaborative, ethical, and disciplined. While none of these are bad goals, how am I supposed to describe the same accomplishments over and over from these different goal posts? But “bold”? What does this even mean?! I’ve asked our HR rep, who kinda shrugged and said just go with it. What sort of response are they expecting? How on earth is this supposed to determine my value to the company? Are these sort of inane questions worth anything to anyone? Is “boldness” by chance one of your company’s professed core values? It’s not uncommon for companies to assess people on how they match up with the company’s values — but “bold” is one that really needs more definition and discussion. And if the values are all like the ones you named, I’d rather see broader instructions like “in discussing your achievements, feel free to highlight ways in which you’ve especially lived our values of XYZ.” And really, evaluations should be primarily focused on the extent to which you achieved you goals. If you were unethical, undisciplined, or too cautious in pursuing them, we’re going to talk about that, but there’s not a ton of pay-off in forcing everyone to write about how ethics or discipline or boldness helped them hit their targets. (And the fact that your HR person didn’t have a real answer for you is evidence of that.) In any case, you don’t need to use different accomplishments for each of these questions. You can use the same accomplishments and talk about different aspects of them (for example, if you’re talking about project X, you can talk about the specific ways you collaborated on it in response to the question about collaboration, the discipline you brought to it in response to the question about discipline, and so forth). Don’t use a single accomplishment for everything, but it’s okay if your answers overlap. – 2019 4. The “office couple” decided to swap jobs My office has about 30 employees. We have five salaried staff and the rest of us are hourly without guaranteed hours. When I started a year ago, I noticed that a member of the admin/salaried staff and another employee were oddly close and always hovering around each other. I was not surprised when I found out they are a couple, living together, and had met through work. Six months ago, she got promoted to a salaried position. Previously, those two positions worked together occasionally, but not closely by any means. When she took over the position, the couple started working together even more closely and he was actively helping with her job responsibilities. From my viewpoint, she was struggling a bit with absorbing the responsibilities of her new position, but I can’t be certain of that. Well, today at our staff meeting, this couple announced they would be switching positions. They both said they liked the other person’s position better and thought it would be best to switch. The positions are equal in seniority, but one is clearly easier/less stressful than the other. The head of our office had approved the switch. Am I crazy to think this is not appropriate? Something about the whole thing just feels really off, especially if she had trouble keeping up with her original promoted position. If they really just decided on their own to swap jobs, that is indeed bizarre and, yes, not appropriate. That’s not normally the kind of thing you get to just decide on your own! But I suspect there’s a decent chance that their explanation was a face-saving one — and that in fact your coworker might have been demoted (particularly if you’re right that she was struggling with the job) and that her partner got moved into the position. “We both liked the other person’s job and decided to switch” might just be the spin they’re putting on it. Or who knows, maybe not. Maybe they hatched this plan themselves and got it approved. If that’s the case, it’s possible that they were each such a perfect fit for the other person’s job that it this isn’t as weird as it sounds on the surface. But if not, and instead your office just okayed it on a whim, then that’s an awfully unrigorous way to make major management decisions. – 2018 You may also like:employee might give me drugs for Christmas, coworker's husband punched me, and morehow can I take time off when my team needs it more?is it OK to put up a Christmas tree at work? { 52 comments }
EatVsDrink* December 23, 2024 at 12:39 am As someone who periodically fasts, drinking water is a different beast entirely than eating. I definitely would be comfortable drinking, especially water. I would be upset if I had to watch others eating in my office space while fasting. If these folks say they’re okay with it then I’d go ahead, but I find it odd and definitely be aware many others won’t be. Reply ↓
Artemesia* December 23, 2024 at 1:19 am Of course one should avoid eating in front of people on a religious fast BUT if there is literally no place else t sit and eat then lunch takes precedence over this courtesy. I think the OP should eat in the conference room or wherever if possible but needs to tell office mates ‘I hate to eat during Ramadan here in the office, but sometimes there is literally no place in the building I can sit and eat and I apologize for when that happens.’ Reply ↓
Falling Diphthong* December 23, 2024 at 7:16 am Yes. I think the water is fine; anything with food smells you should try to eat elsewhere if there’s an easy way to do that. Sounds like in this office setup there is not. One of my solid rules from reading here is that people’s willingness to be inconvenienced by you depends on how hard you are trying not to inconvenience them. OP’s office mates can see that the conference rooms are occupied and there is no break room. Reply ↓
EatVsDrink* December 23, 2024 at 7:39 am If there’s nowhere else to eat, there’s nowhere else to eat and they should eat. I know we are supposed to believe the posters, so I’ll believe this is the rare case where that’s true. In many cases it’s not – it’s habit or preference. I was trying to make the distinction between feelings about food vs water as the OP was refraining from both and seems more bothered by the water. Starting by drinking but not eating may be a good option for them. Reply ↓
HiddenT* December 23, 2024 at 1:22 am Are you also a Muslim who fasts during Ramadan? I ask because my understanding (as someone who isn’t Muslim) is that it’s not the same as fasting for dietary reasons. Reply ↓
allathian* December 23, 2024 at 1:34 am Mmm yeah. I prefer not eating lunch at my desk if there are other options, but there’s absolutely no way I’d not continue drinking water at my desk. I need to eat something every three to four hours for medical reasons, so I’m not fasting, and I’d honestly find it an imposition to change my ways to accommodate those who do. I wouldn’t be obnoxious about it or ask the questions people who fast get all the time (how can you work all day without eating or drinking?) but I also wouldn’t change anything about how I do things to support those who are fasting. Especially not in the LW’s place, given that they’ve said they don’t mind the water. A new coworker has severe allergies and never eats anything cooked by anyone else, so she doesn’t eat at work. When she told me, all I said was “oh, okay” and that was that. She told me when I invited her to lunch. Reply ↓
Elsa* December 23, 2024 at 2:21 am I think that not asking obnoxious questions but also not changing your eating habits is the right approach. I’m not Muslim but my religion also has fasts, so I sometimes observe religious fasts at work, and that is definitely what I want from coworkers. Those who feel bad eating in front of religious faster should consider two things: 1. We see people eating while we are fasting all the time. If we are parents of small children, we prepare and serve food to them while fasting. If we say we don’t mind seeing you eat, please believe us. 2. The main thing we want as religious people in the workplace is to be seen as normal people. The last thing we want is people tiptoeing around us and making us feel like our very existence in the office is placing limitations on them. Reply ↓
English Rose* December 23, 2024 at 4:55 am “The main thing we want as religious people in the workplace is to be seen as normal people. The last thing we want is people tiptoeing around us and making us feel like our very existence in the office is placing limitations on them.” This! My Muslim friends and colleagues all say that while they are thankful people are considerate, it’s actually more distracting when others are obviously avoiding normal behaviour and interactions. Reply ↓
Who Plays Backgammon?* December 23, 2024 at 2:44 am if fasting is part of someone’s religious observance, fine, but i’m sure they’re aware that other people around them might not follow the same practices. people need their meals/nutrition and shouldn’t feel bad or guilty about having them. this is a workplace, not a house of worship. Reply ↓
Radioactive Cyborg Llama* December 23, 2024 at 8:54 am “this is a workplace, not a house of worship.” Do you say that about all the Xmas decorations all over the place right now? Reply ↓
ASD always* December 23, 2024 at 8:57 am Do churches decorate for Christmas? I’ve never seen any outside, but I can’t remember the last time I went inside a church anywhere near a christian holiday. Reply ↓
Despachito* December 23, 2024 at 3:22 am If anyone fasts for whatever reason, it is THEIR problem to deal with seeing other people eat. No one should be forced to not eat in front of them or even feel guilty for that. It is definitely very considerate from the OP to want to spare their coworkers’ feelings as much as possible, bur the coworkers are reacting in the only possible reasonable way. It is OK to be internally upset because my coworker has something I can’t have but it is up to me to deal with it, and I absolutely can’t make it the coworker’s problem. Reply ↓
Rosey* December 23, 2024 at 6:04 am I know plenty of Muslims and Baha’is who fast for religious reasons, and they are all very clear that it’s not at all offensive to eat and drink in front of them. Anyone who is bothered, and I’ve asked, has never voiced it. I’ve consistently been encouraged to continue eating as normal. I do try still to be courteous by not eating in front of them while they’re fasting if I can help it, but that’s on me, not a request by them. Reply ↓
EatVsDrink* December 23, 2024 at 7:32 am General reply to other commenters: It’s not asking them not to eat in the space designated for eating. It’s asking them not to eat in the space where I am required to be while not eating. If I ventured into a kitchen space or break room I’d expect people to be eating. If I’m in my enclosed office space trying to work, no. Coping with being forced to watch others eat while starving is a regular topic of conversation among others of my religion. There is pressure to conform and not make a fuss about it (exacerbated by the majority religion not including fasting days), and some folks feel they have no choice but to grin and bear it no matter how much it bothers them. I’m not saying that everyone feels that way, but a whole bunch of folks do. I know as I’ve gotten older and more experienced I’ve felt more able to ask people to stop and please go somewhere else to eat. Of course, it’s not nearly as common to have real offices these days and it’s an entirely different dynamic in an open office environment or cube farm. In either of those it’s more public space and less private office so there’s less standing and often less need to ask people to refrain from actions you’d expect to be able to avoid in an enclosed office. Reply ↓
Jam today* December 23, 2024 at 7:37 am I know as I’ve gotten older and more experienced I’ve felt more able to ask people to stop and please go somewhere else to eat. You really need to knock that off. Reply ↓
EatVsDrink* December 23, 2024 at 7:42 am Not when there are other places they’re supposed to be eating. Reply ↓
Lady Lessa* December 23, 2024 at 7:59 am But, according to the LW, there are NO other available places for them to eat. Reply ↓
Radioactive Cyborg Llama* December 23, 2024 at 8:57 am Wow, this whole thread has too many comments that wouldn’t be made if this was a practice of the majority religion. Reply ↓
Czhorat* December 23, 2024 at 8:56 am I think this strikes somewhat of a balance; the bigger overall problem is the expectation/situation that everyone has to eat at their desk in a shared workspace. The only ones to blame about that are the corporate facilities team who set up an office without adequate break/meal spaces. If the fasting co-worker is OK with it then eating at your desk quietly and not calling attention is the least acceptable effort, but who wants to set the expectation of only doing the least? If OP wants to go an extra step in respecting the fast I think that’s a good thing; it’s how I would like to act. Reply ↓
linger* December 23, 2024 at 1:16 am OP4 [spouse job swap] commented in the original thread (in which they were “OP1”) to give some further details: Thank you for the feedback! Honestly, based off the way it was presented and the mannerisms from the office head, I am fairly certain it was the couple’s idea. Both positions have a director title and salary, and it was not a demotion. I am still peeved by the situation, because I feel their relationship likely gave them a work advantage with this specific decision. However, for my sanity, I’m going to let that all go and assume this was a face-saving move (as you suggested). I had not considered that explanation before and you very well might be right. And in a separate comment: I found this bothersome [because the] position would be of interest to others in the office. The situation makes me worry about fairness in promotion opportunities. And again, these two positions never worked this close before and don’t need to, so their “unit” approach is awkward and sometimes makes it confusing for me to know who to report to. Reply ↓
WellRed* December 23, 2024 at 7:17 am Yeah sounds like half the couple got a promotion simply by virtue of the relationship. Reply ↓
Czhorat* December 23, 2024 at 8:57 am Those are really legitimate concerns. Even if the reality isn’t what is being portrayed the optics are absolutely terrible. Reply ↓
Captain dddd-cccc-ddWdd* December 23, 2024 at 2:12 am OP4 (couple job swap) – I wonder if she is succeeding in the new role where she was struggling in the old one. OP mentions that the new role is “clearly” harder and more stressful although they are the same seniority… but really, hard and stressful are subjective to the individual person. I would find a role where I had to concentrate on detail and follow written procedures to the letter for 8 hours a day much harder than a role responding to unexpected incidents and emergencies. Someone else might be stressed out by that “unpredictable” factor. If they weren’t a couple (or had another close relationship like bffs) presumably they wouldn’t have discussed this, and her boss would have noticed (or she’d have brought up) that she was struggling, and perhaps this role swap would have been the outcome anyway? I do think there’s an element of the other person “covering” for her incompetence here, which (as the answer says) suggests decisions aren’t being made on an objective basis. Did he actually prefer that role or was it to ensure that the other half of the “unit” wouldn’t be fired? Reply ↓
WellRed* December 23, 2024 at 7:22 am But if she was struggling in the role to the point she needed to leave it, why not promote someone else from the team? Reply ↓
MK* December 23, 2024 at 7:41 am Generally speaking, employers don’t want to demote employees. And presumably there is a reason they promoted this woman instead of someone else from the team; it’s likely they still think she has potential, even if that particular role wasn’t the right fit for her, so moving her to a different but equal role was a good solution, given there was someone in the other role also willing to move. The only iffy thing here is the personal relationship between the job-swapping employees, or more accurately that they seem to have settled this among themselves. If Susan and her manager decided she wasn’t right for the role, and then management considered moving her to the other role a good solution and asked if anyone there wanted to move, that wouldn’t be odd at all. That being said, the company could have refused the job-swap proposal from the couple and promoted someone else. Ultimately it was the company’s decision, and I am not sure it’s justified to feel the couple had an unfair advantage. Reply ↓
Captain dddd-cccc-ddWdd* December 23, 2024 at 2:19 am OP2 (lunch while others are fasting) – they’ve said it’s OK and that they are not upset by OP eating lunch at desks. In this situation (because there isn’t a suitable alternative arrangement) I would take it at face value and assume they are OK with it since they said so. If they aren’t – it’s on them to use their words. If they didn’t seem to be OK with it though, I’d be bringing this up with management or HR or maybe “facilities” if you have such a thing. e.g. can reception be covered by someone else, who’s able to eat at their desk after. Reply ↓
Maz* December 23, 2024 at 2:25 am #1: I know this is from a few years ago, but in that type of situation, talk to your colleagues. Explain that you’re trying to be respectful but you need to be able to eat and drink at your desk. They may not care, or they may have suggestions such as perhaps not eating something with a very strong smell. As someone who occasionally fasts for religious reasons (though I rarely share with others that I’m fasting — not Ramadan) I can honestly say that seeing others eating doesn’t bother me. It’s food scents that make me feel hungry. The OP doesn’t need to eat bland food, but perhaps they can avoid food with a scent that carries and/or lingers. Reply ↓
Despachito* December 23, 2024 at 3:25 am I think not eating something with a very strong smell is common decency in any office situation. Reply ↓
Frosty* December 23, 2024 at 9:22 am Perhaps but OP might want to take special care. I find that lunches always smell like something, especially if it is hot. OP could try to focus on cold foods that don’t make a lot of “noise” (cheese and crackers but not a bunch of crunchy celery for example) Reply ↓
Who Plays Backgammon?* December 23, 2024 at 2:45 am if fasting is part of someone’s religious observance, fine, but i’m sure they’re aware that people around them might not follow the same practices. people need their meals/nutrition and shouldn’t feel bad or guilty about having them. this is a workplace, not a house of worship. Reply ↓
Adam* December 23, 2024 at 3:21 am I feel like #2 is overthinking it. I’ve worked with many Muslims and none of them were bothered by people eating and drinking around them, they understand that other people aren’t fasting. Don’t wave a sandwich in their face or schedule a team lunch during Ramadan, but feel free to eat and drink according to your normal routine. Reply ↓
Numbersmouse* December 23, 2024 at 3:32 am > I also always eat lunch at my desk, at the same time every day, and they all know this, but I feel like it’s unfair for me to do so when they are fasting, even though they’ve said it doesn’t bother them. Yeah, this is bordering on virtue-signalling, tbh. Your teammates’ own words should take precedence about your pre-formed ideas about how they should feel. Reply ↓
Lexi Vipond* December 23, 2024 at 5:50 am The whole thing just sounds a bit dismal, to be honest – there are plenty of people who just prefer not eating in front of people who aren’t, fasting or not. Plus it sounds like literally everyone else gets to go to a place that’s not their desk and have a proper half hour break, while the OP is stuck eating in a corner jammed in among people trying to work. Reply ↓
honeygrim* December 23, 2024 at 8:09 am I wonder if part of the issue was that the LW was the supervisor, and was concerned that their team didn’t feel comfortable expressing their preference that the supervisor not eat in the office. I agree that the LW should take the words of their team at face value, but I can see why–as the supervisor–they might have been worried. Reply ↓
Czhorat* December 23, 2024 at 9:00 am Virtue-signaling is a good thing; it’s giving an outward sign that you exhibit a positive attribute – in this case respect for another culture. honeygrim also made an excellent point that you can’t always trust the words of someone in the office – especially if you’re their supervisor. “No, eat what you want” could mean “eat what you want”, but it could also mean “I don’t want to be penalized because my boss is secretly irritated that I made them relocate their meal”. Reply ↓
Radioactive Cyborg Llama* December 23, 2024 at 9:05 am Love this comment. The reason people with conservative values call it “virtue signaling” is they’re trying to silence people with liberal values, for the same reason that they ban books about tolerance and are trying to get rid of social emotional learning. Reply ↓
Spencer Hastings* December 23, 2024 at 9:25 am The crucial part of the phrase is “signaling” — i.e., when people attempt to *signal* that they have a particular characteristic while not actually having it. In this case, going “I’m even denying myself water, look how respectful I’m being!” while the colleagues are like “I myself am fasting, I don’t care if you eat or not, you do you”…seems not actually all that respectful on the LW’s part. Reply ↓
Radioactive Cyborg Llama* December 23, 2024 at 9:02 am Ah, the Fox News talking point of accusing anyone who is trying to be considerate of other humans as “virtue signaling.” Reply ↓
UKDancer* December 23, 2024 at 5:23 am Agreed. All the Muslims I’ve worked with who fast have made it clear (if asked) that the fast is something they undertake willingly and are accustomed to doing and it’s not necessary for other people to do anything different or refrain from eating. One colleague said the thing that made a fast worth doing for him was the fact it was challenging. Basically if it was easy it wouldn’t be as meaningful. Our guidance in the companies I’ve worked has mainly been to avoid scheduling work lunches and awaydays with food during Ramadan and to allow people to flex their hours and avoid scheduling them for travelling unless they choose to do the travel. I mean I’d probably avoid eating very strongly scented or hot food at my desk as a courtesy (which is a thing we’re discouraged from doing generally in my current company) but I tend to do that anyway. If i’m having more than sandwiches or salad I have it in the staff room. Reply ↓
DontEat* December 23, 2024 at 7:45 am FWIW, I’ve worked in several offices where we were told not to eat in front of Muslim colleagues during Ramadan. Reply ↓
ASD always* December 23, 2024 at 5:13 am I’m very curious how LW1’s weed-gift-at-work situation ended up going. They only commented once on the original post and no gifting had happened as yet. Reply ↓
Cats Ate My Croissant* December 23, 2024 at 5:21 am The temptation to respond to the evaluation with “I’m demonstrating boldness by not answering any more of these ridiculously vague questions” would be strong. Reply ↓
Falling Diphthong* December 23, 2024 at 7:21 am Q: How have you demonstrated boldness at work? A: THIS! (only employee input on entire 3 page form) Reply ↓
Desk Dragon* December 23, 2024 at 8:03 am I once answered a similarly vague string of jargon masquerading as a self-evaluation question with “I have no idea what this is asking.” During the actual review discussion my manager just laughed and said that yes, that was a particularly bad one, explained how she interpreted it, and we discussed the actual topic. In management/HR’s defense, none of them like the mandatory review software and evaluation questions our parent company started imposing on us a few years ago, either. Reply ↓
Elizabeth West* December 23, 2024 at 8:17 am LOL! I don’t understand how I’m supposed to “live the values” other than doing my job as best I can and not being an asshole. Feels like “company values” should apply more to things the company does as a whole, like support diverse employees and not mess up the environment or work in totalitarian regimes. Reply ↓
Apex Mountain* December 23, 2024 at 7:22 am I agree that it was inappropriate in a work setting for your colleague to mention getting you pot for Christmas. What if you celebrate Chanukah, Kwanzaa, or nothing at all? I realize Christians are the majority in the US but it was wrong for him to assume that OP is one of them. Reply ↓
Who knows* December 23, 2024 at 9:18 am I find it odd that you are assuming that it’s an assumption that OP celebrates Christmas. It’s entirely possible that the sales rep knows this for a fact because OP has mentioned it before, etc. I happen to know my manager is Jewish. If I write in to AAM, are you going to assume I’m just making an assumption about something I know for a fact? Reply ↓
Spoony* December 23, 2024 at 9:04 am The thing that stood out to me about #1 is less the pot (which is certainly problematic) and more the fact that someone is planning on giving a Christmas gift to their manager? That seems not great on at least two levels: the manager presumably earns more than the report so the report shouldn’t be spending money on a gift for their boss (imo), and the manager is in charge of evaluating the report’s work, and you shouldn’t be accepting gifts from someone who you have that kind of power over for both your sakes (what if receiving gifts from one employee but not another influences who gets better assignments or promotions or laid off?). I think it’s fine if the whole team does a secret Santa or yankee swap that includes managers but I don’t really think independent gifts should flow upwards like that. If I were a manager and someone who reports to me announced they were planning on getting me a Christmas gift, I’d just say something like “oh my gosh, that’s so generous but please don’t bother”. Reply ↓
Firefinch* December 23, 2024 at 9:06 am I’ve lived in Muslim countries in Africa and been one of two non-Muslims in the office. Drinking water at your desk is totally fine. Eating at your desk is fine, especially since you have no other option. The rules aren’t as rigid as many people think; observant Muslims can skip fasting if they’re sick, pregnant, nursing, or if they are traveling, or for other reasons. They make up those days later. So if they’ve said it’s fine, believe them. If there is a way to allow them to go home an hour earlier since they are working through lunch, that would probably be appreciated. Half Fridays to attend mosque would also be appreciated, if you aren’t doing this already. This was the schedule in my workplace. And if you wanted to do something nice halfway through and at the end, boxes of dates for them to take home and eat to break the fast would be a nice gesture. One of my favorite memories is returning from fieldwork in line at the airport and one of my colleagues passed a box of dates up and down the line for everyone to break fast at the same time. All these strangers, all of us breaking fast with dates in line at the airport as we waited to be allowed out to get our bags and go home. It was a moment of solidarity in our normally separate lives. We would also not schedule meetings after noon since people slow down a bit, and if there were lunch or evening events, then take-away boxes were provided. Ramadan was a happy time in the office, although mostly for the men since the women work like crazy cooking all the time in addition to their normal work, but my colleagues loved Ramadan and Eid. If you have a favorite halal food truck, you could buy an extra sandwich and tell them to give it to someone in need. They’ll know, and that gives both of you the blessings of Ramadan. It is the season to give to people in need. Reply ↓