Breakroom Pet Peeves

Nurses General Nursing

Updated:   Published

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What are your breakroom or break time pet peeves? I bet stealing people's food is on top, but there is way more. I'll give mine to start:

1. There are a few chairs, to begin with, in the tiny breakroom. Your Target backpack DOES NOT require a chair. Put it on the floor or leave it in the car.

2. Headphones were invented I think in the 80s. I don't want to listen to your phone calls, music, or Youtube videos. Read or buy some headphones for 99 cents.

3. If you see me with my headphones or my face in a book that is a clear clue.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
6 minutes ago, DesiDani said:

Then the computer wouldn't of registered as credit. I could however asked the doctor to do the bag while I did the compressions.

"Excuse me? Excuse me" "Yeah make sure you do 2 squeezes on the right count. I have to get this in"

LOL LOL LOL you are too funny.

1 Votes

Nothing like a good OPINION BOMBER to ruin the mood. I wonder if they feel the silent death stares or even care. Worst is that they are always wrong, but think being confrontational and blunt = I am correct.

They are rarely confronted. You just get dragged into a meaningless conversation with them and who has time for that on such a short break time?

1 Votes
Specializes in PEDS.

I just hate if I am in the break room and it gets too loud. I understand that is time for us to do what we want, but I also like having that time to just clear my mind.

4 Votes
50 minutes ago, Ginger702 said:

I just hate if I am in the break room and it gets too loud. I understand that is time for us to do what we want, but I also like having that time to just clear my mind.

Guess you'll be quick to walk away when the opinion bomber sits next to you?

3 Votes
Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.
10 hours ago, amoLucia said:

JB - I think you meant to post this in the 'grossest' post. Gotta admit, this was a nasty one. ;))

LOL!  I certainly did!  will change it ?

1 Votes
Specializes in retired LTC.
20 hours ago, DesiDani said:

We had to put a lock on our breakroom after a patient went in and had themselves a feast. The patients was very sweet, but seriously, you get served 3 meals a day and you want raid our lunches.

This. And we had visitors and families doing it too!

3 Votes

I try to be a consciousness person, making sure I've gotten all the necessities done before I get a lunch break,on those days I actually got a break. Invariably on some of those days I could hear someone's voice say "she's in the breakroom." Never an emergency mine you. That I wouldnt mind having to interrupt my break for but always some nonesense that could have waited 20 more minutes till I'm done. For the love of God, is it too much to ask for 30 minutes of down time?  Apparently so. This is just one of the reasons I switched from LTC to home health.

6 Votes
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
1 hour ago, Wlaurie said:

This is just one of the reasons I switched from LTC to home health.

And now, Wlaurie, you can do as the child in the old TV commercial suggested: "We could go to Burger Doodle and eat in the car!"

3 Votes
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
On 5/8/2021 at 2:08 PM, SmilingBluEyes said:

I can't comprehend it at all. The noise around and being interrupted by (normal) staff moving about the room, why the HELL nap in there?!  I never ever understood it. I did not care if I peeved him off; I turned on all the lights and made all the noise and ate all the food. LOL!

He probably power-tripped on the idea of nurses tiptoeing around him.  I can't believe (well, yes I can) that your coworkers went along with that.  And we wonder why we get rocks for Nurses' Week.

8 Votes
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
4 hours ago, Wlaurie said:

I try to be a consciousness person, making sure I've gotten all the necessities done before I get a lunch break,on those days I actually got a break. Invariably on some of those days I could hear someone's voice say "she's in the breakroom." Never an emergency mine you. That I wouldnt mind having to interrupt my break for but always some nonesense that could have waited 20 more minutes till I'm done. For the love of God, is it too much to ask for 30 minutes of down time?  Apparently so. This is just one of the reasons I switched from LTC to home health.

If you hear yourself saying "She's in the break room" maybe that's a clue she's trying to get a BREAK.

3 Votes
Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.
21 hours ago, Wlaurie said:

I try to be a consciousness person, making sure I've gotten all the necessities done before I get a lunch break,on those days I actually got a break. Invariably on some of those days I could hear someone's voice say "she's in the breakroom." Never an emergency mine you. That I wouldnt mind having to interrupt my break for but always some nonesense that could have waited 20 more minutes till I'm done. For the love of God, is it too much to ask for 30 minutes of down time?  Apparently so. This is just one of the reasons I switched from LTC to home health.

To this day I attribute the lack of an uninterrupted break in the break room as a reason I refuse to quit smoking. At least the smokers get to leave the building and actually get a break without being interrupted by the tons of questions and little tasks that could certainly wait.  

3 Votes
Specializes in retired LTC.
23 minutes ago, kbrn2002 said:

To this day I attribute the lack of an uninterrupted break in the break room as a reason I refuse to quit smoking. At least the smokers get to leave the building and actually get a break without being interrupted by the tons of questions and little tasks that could certainly wait.  

Love this!  At one job, the WHOLE nsg admin smoked. Anytime you needed someone, they were usually out 'having a cigarette'. Before meetings, during meetings, after meeting, they were always out having 'a break'. Only 1 other UM and I did NOT smoke. We never luxuriated in all the time outs for 'having a cig break'.  We were jealous at all the unfairness of it.

So we decided to create equal time for us by taking 'fresh air breaks'. Whie all the smokers were relegated to huddling in a little outdoor space behind the bldg near the back door, she and I could sit out in front of the bldg, under a covered pavilion in a garden area. We could watch all the comings & goings, and passing traffic leisurely.

It too only a little while for them to catch on re our 'fresh air breaks', but it did work. 

Sorry for wandering off topic, but I do remember the day waaaay back when smoking was allowed indoors. Nasty when the smokers would just leave their ashtrays overflowing & stinking up the air with stale smoke. It was funny because I WAS a SMOKER at one time.  But I tried to be a bit more considerate with the ashtray. 

5 Votes
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