Expat's "lunch-time greed" post about co-workers swiping sushi for takeaway goes viral
An expat who recently started working in Amsterdam was shocked by his Dutch colleagues’ behavior during the free lunch the company offers on Fridays. Managers made sure to get there first and scooped up several portions of the best food, packing some for takeaway, and leaving nothing for everyone else, the surprised worker wrote on Reddit.
The individual described their well-known Dutch company's attempt to boost employee morale with a free weekly lunch spread, including sushi, stir-fry, sandwiches, and salads. When noon strikes on Fridays, colleagues race to the free sushi. This is mainly Dutch colleagues, including a surprising number of managers, their co-worker claimed.
They snatch up multiple portions, leaving nothing for their colleagues who were stuck in a meeting a few minutes more. The expat, who titled their Reddit post “Shocked by the lunch-time greed at work,” shared their concerns with the head of human resources, who explained the situation by claiming it is simply Dutch culture.
The post was widely shared, drawing replies from others who said they face similar situations in the Netherlands. One commenter worked at a bank “where salaries were well above the national average.” The bank used to offer free bread at lunch, and employees just had to pay for the meats, cheeses, toppings, or spreads they wanted.
“Over time, people got into the habit of bringing plastic bags and taking enough bread home to feed their families. They had to end the free bread program.”
One commenter blamed the behavior on the specific company culture, rather than as an aspect of Dutch culture. “Yes, Dutch people tend to be the first in line for freebies, but taking extra even though you’re not hungry anymore is just a dick move.”
Then again, another commenter worked at a big insurance company where people paid for bread by the slice, but could slice it themselves. “Of course, people immediately turned it into a sport: 'How thick can I cut this and still only pay for one slice?’ They’d even haggle with the poor lunch ladies about it,” they wrote.
“Shockingly, not much later, the fresh loaf was replaced with the cheapest pre-sliced bread they could find — and the same people complained about that too.”
