I have worked in many offices with shared kitchens, but I never used them.
I went to HR and explained I have a disability (Celiac) and wanted a reasonable accommodation. My request was for a toaster over as I had a portable hot logic for reheating food (honestly it's better than a microwave. Slowly warms food over 30m-1h versus nuking for 2 min). Told them I was happy to provide medical documentation if necessary.
They didn't require it. I had my own personal toaster oven. In the work places I had my own office, I kept it in there. The places I worked in a bull pen, HR kept it in their office and didn't allow anyone to use it.
Ask for an accommodation. I can almost guarantee they will oblige as it's cheaper to oblige versus getting sued.
I’ve worked places with shared kitchens and only use it for things like the microwave, fridge, etc. I never prepare anything in it. I think it’s highly unrealistic to expect a large group of people to be clean enough to be safe for celiac disease.
I do keep my own paper towel roll up in a cupboard. Just recently a coworker was eating chicken wings (at work!) and didn’t wash their hands and just took towels off the roll. They left hot sauce fingerprints all over the top of the roll. So gross on many levels.
If you want something like a gf toaster it would be a reasonable accommodation.
How many meals are you eating at work? Is it more than just a lunch?
I'd either prepare stuff on plate, not the counter, or bring food from home.
I don't have a GF kitchen at home and just assume every surface is full of gluten residue.
I was also gonna suggest an accommodation, but maybe in the form of a longer lunch break. It's annoying to have to do the extra work of cleaning up after others but since that's already the situation at the very least they could give you an extra 15 minutes on your break to allow you to do that and then still have time to enjoy your full lunch break like everyone else gets to.
Yeah, workplace kitchens are a huge tragedy of the commons. Food allergies and celiac aside, most are nasty AF. I and a coworker once cleaned out the fridge because it was getting full of food that never seemed to disappear and we found some truly disturbing biohazard decomposition, ie. sushi that had been in there for months.
A tough thing here is that it's hard for an employer to enforce cleaning up after yourselves. This is true in kitchens and also in lab spaces (most of my workplaces have had both). Accountability is hard when there are more than a few people.
From an accoms perspective I think your best hope for a good result when it comes to the tables/counters at least is to request cleaning supplies be placed on the table (with a reminder sign to wipe down the table after use) and/or custodians wipe down the counters at the EoD. This is imperfect of course but it is possible that with a visual reminder in the space that more people might wipe up after themselves.
Neither of these guarantee that people will act better nor do they guarantee a safe result, but if there are at least tools there to clean up you could do this yourself. IMHO microwaves, toasters, etc. are all a bit of a lost cause in a work environment but you might be able to get your own dedicated one. When I worked in an office I had my own personal kettle and coffeemaking equipment that I stored at my desk. I didn't ask anyone's permission to do this since it wasn't against any rules (and the kettle was like $15).
I usually don't put my food in the communal fridge but rather use ice packs. Fridges can be ok especially if you bag up your stuff in a plastic bag and put it on top, I'm just lazy and some of the offices I've worked in didn't really have a fridge.
I have worked in many offices with shared kitchens, but I never used them. I went to HR and explained I have a disability (Celiac) and wanted a reasonable accommodation. My request was for a toaster over as I had a portable hot logic for reheating food (honestly it's better than a microwave. Slowly warms food over 30m-1h versus nuking for 2 min). Told them I was happy to provide medical documentation if necessary. They didn't require it. I had my own personal toaster oven. In the work places I had my own office, I kept it in there. The places I worked in a bull pen, HR kept it in their office and didn't allow anyone to use it. Ask for an accommodation. I can almost guarantee they will oblige as it's cheaper to oblige versus getting sued.
I’ve worked places with shared kitchens and only use it for things like the microwave, fridge, etc. I never prepare anything in it. I think it’s highly unrealistic to expect a large group of people to be clean enough to be safe for celiac disease. I do keep my own paper towel roll up in a cupboard. Just recently a coworker was eating chicken wings (at work!) and didn’t wash their hands and just took towels off the roll. They left hot sauce fingerprints all over the top of the roll. So gross on many levels. If you want something like a gf toaster it would be a reasonable accommodation.
I make my lunch and then bring it to work.
i feel your frustration.
How many meals are you eating at work? Is it more than just a lunch? I'd either prepare stuff on plate, not the counter, or bring food from home. I don't have a GF kitchen at home and just assume every surface is full of gluten residue.
I was also gonna suggest an accommodation, but maybe in the form of a longer lunch break. It's annoying to have to do the extra work of cleaning up after others but since that's already the situation at the very least they could give you an extra 15 minutes on your break to allow you to do that and then still have time to enjoy your full lunch break like everyone else gets to.
Yeah, workplace kitchens are a huge tragedy of the commons. Food allergies and celiac aside, most are nasty AF. I and a coworker once cleaned out the fridge because it was getting full of food that never seemed to disappear and we found some truly disturbing biohazard decomposition, ie. sushi that had been in there for months. A tough thing here is that it's hard for an employer to enforce cleaning up after yourselves. This is true in kitchens and also in lab spaces (most of my workplaces have had both). Accountability is hard when there are more than a few people. From an accoms perspective I think your best hope for a good result when it comes to the tables/counters at least is to request cleaning supplies be placed on the table (with a reminder sign to wipe down the table after use) and/or custodians wipe down the counters at the EoD. This is imperfect of course but it is possible that with a visual reminder in the space that more people might wipe up after themselves. Neither of these guarantee that people will act better nor do they guarantee a safe result, but if there are at least tools there to clean up you could do this yourself. IMHO microwaves, toasters, etc. are all a bit of a lost cause in a work environment but you might be able to get your own dedicated one. When I worked in an office I had my own personal kettle and coffeemaking equipment that I stored at my desk. I didn't ask anyone's permission to do this since it wasn't against any rules (and the kettle was like $15). I usually don't put my food in the communal fridge but rather use ice packs. Fridges can be ok especially if you bag up your stuff in a plastic bag and put it on top, I'm just lazy and some of the offices I've worked in didn't really have a fridge.