"Debate Over Whether It's Okay to Report a New Employee Eating Tteokbokki While Working in the Office"

Employees Eating Tteokbokki, Chicken, and More in the Office
Persistently Continuing to Eat Despite Being Pointed Out

A story has been shared about an office worker struggling because a new employee is eating meals beyond simple snacks during working hours.

On the 3rd, a post titled "Is it okay to report an employee secretly eating tteokbokki and other food during work?" was uploaded on an online community, drawing attention. The author, Mr. A, began by saying, "A new employee who recently joined the office keeps bringing and eating tteokbokki, pizza, and chicken with bones while working."

Mr. A explained the situation, saying, "The team leader told them to either eat before coming or during lunch break because the smell was bothersome and to refrain from eating during work hours." Despite being warned, the new employee did not stop eating food in the office. They secretly ate tteokbokki, udon, and other dishes brought in a thermos bottle." He also claimed that the employee posted disparaging comments about the team leader who pointed out the issue on their social media.

Mr. A lamented, "They even took photos of themselves secretly eating in the office and posted them on a workplace app's bulletin board. The sound of eating is very distracting, and the smell is so bad it makes me feel like vomiting."

Netizens who read the story responded with comments such as, "I've seen people eat chocolate or candy, but never someone eating smelly food like tteokbokki," "Posting insults about the warning on SNS shows they probably don't realize they're in the wrong," "They seem a bit lacking," and "It might be best to report to HR that the smell is interfering with work."

Meanwhile, debates about eating food inside the office at workplaces continue actively. In 2021, a team leader's post asking whether it was appropriate for an employee who skipped breakfast to eat kimbap, rice cakes, or bananas in the office became a hot topic among netizens. In November of the same year, a post by an office worker complaining about a colleague eating ramen inside the office also gained much sympathy.