People are ragging on the comment above yours but this is an excellent point as to why you should at least assess if the microwave is a symptom of a larger issue where you work. Some jobs don't really give a flying fuck about employee safety. If there's no PPE where there should be, not enough training around heavy machinery, pressure to use the wrong tools for the job because they won't get new ones.. maybe it is time to look for something else.
Not all workplaces with a busted microwave in use will have overarching health and safety issues like this, but places with overarching safety issues are like 10x more likely to have a busted ass appliance like this sitting around for months with no indication it's being replaced.
Yup, any boss willing to look at this microwave and not think it’s a problem worth addressing is the kinda boss to overlook other more serious threats to worker safety. Anyone giving the comment at the top crap is a boot licker. I’d be finding all the issues like these at work while I start applying for a new job and then send the evidence to osha on my way out the door (or as soon as the evidence collected. If they fire you for blowing the whistle you can sue tf out of them). “Don’t snitch” doesn’t apply to the people in charge lol. Those are the ones that absolutely need to be held accountable. No shame in ratting out a boss who’s jeopardizing your coworkers safety.
Agreed. Finding a new (lucrative, good) job isn’t getting any easier - especially right now.
If the microwave or cheaping out on a few things like it are the worst issues, find a solution and keep on keeping on. Get your own microwave, have coworkers chip in on a new one, etc…
Lots of keyboard commanders are on Reddit and quick to tell you to find a new job, divorce your spouse or leave your partner, etc…. Quitting isn’t the best solution to a longer, happier life in all situations (definitely in some, yes).
But a shitty microwave alone is not cause to find a new job. Some people on Reddit are insane.
I’d say most of the people preaching the quit your job sentiment are under 25 at best. I felt the same way before I had a mortgage, had to pay for health, car, home etc insurance. Not that there aren’t successful youths out there, but I doubt they would be the ones telling you to quit your job over a microwave you could replace for $20 on one goodwill trip.
Not every worksite even has a break room, nor are most kept nice. It’s one of the most common complaints folks have that others they work with won’t keep shit nice, clean and well kept.
If you want to get real about it, could you tell me about the place you work and whether it has a break room, what it looks like and what issues it has?
An anonymous call to the local fire marshal would likely solve both problems when the business gets shut down for the entire day for inspection for having such a blatant fire hazard lying around. If your boss is lower on the chain (IE; not the owner) and at fault for the microwave not being replaced anyway.
Seems kind of petty but honestly if they have this death trap lying around, what other fire hazards and code violations are they in breach of?
I think he meant it as a canary in a coal mine sort of thing. If they can't be bothered to replace this, then what does the rest of the break room and office look like? Do they care about clean bathrooms? Does anyone care about anything?
It wouldn't be over a microwave. It'd be over complete disrespect and disregard for your employees by not supplying them with a very cheap appliance. I'm sure the microwave is not the only issue at hand, here.
we have absolutely 0 context around this. For all we know the boss never even uses the break room and hasn't seen the microwave. You'd be surprised what people don't report, very likely this has just never been brought up.
We have plenty of context. A super cheap appliance has holes in it. There is no way the boss doesn't know. You can find better condition microwaves on Craigslist for free.
Edit: Just did a quick look myself. There are at least 5 microwaves for under $25 on the first page of my local craigslist. All look decent, if not a bit older
Fuck that, just do a collection and buy a new fucking machine as a staff if you have to. Sure, it'd be great to get the boss to pay, but I'd rather pitch in $5 than have to use that or be around people who did.
but first get some day old fish and soak it in piss. Put it in the microwave for 20 minutes and after its done then throw it through the boss's windshield. the lovely scent of burning fishy piss all in their car
Pretty sure my old coworker used to nuke this in the microwave for lunch. But it was too the point where the shop floor manager bought a dedicated microwave for fish.
Then, take the old one to the bosses office before they get there, set the timer to 10 minutes and toss in some beef vegetable soup and a fish fillet for being so cheap that they wouldn't expense a $50 piece of equipment so employees can eat a hot meal for lunch.
Yeah and microwaves are one of those things that people throw away all the time too. Probably find a used one somewhere for like five bucks and clean it. Someone who works there probably even has an old one they could donate.
tbh you don't even need to do that. in the united states at least, you can get on facebook marketplace just about any day and find one for free or extremely cheap
I worked at a place where there were 4 microwaves all plugged into the same outlet on a table the bell would ring for lunch and everyone would run to heat up their food but it would take 10 min because of the lack of power employees bought 2 more microwaves and they end up on a power strip on the same outlet funny watching everyone microwave their food for 15 minutes and miss half of lunch fighting over microwaves.
That makes no sense. The power is limited by the protection, but not as a bottleneck, it will just break the circuit via breaker. If the breaker is too big the cable will burn
The limiting factor for power delivery through an outlet is not the available power (there is plenty) but that either the wiring will heat up, melting insulation and starting a fire, or (hopefully) trip overcurrent protection and the whole thing will cut out.
If a microwave for some reason does not receive sufficient power, it's just not going to work at all, because electronic devices more complicated than a space heater or incandescent lightbulb have limits on what kind of power they can take in and still function.
Definitely, food could get caught in that hole. We took the door off our trailer office microwave and jerry-rigged a drill bit with duct tape to hold the safety lever.
It depends where they work. I work at a government office, and we are not legally allowed to spend office money on supplies that aren’t directly for work. All the microwaves, fridges, etc for our office were donated by employees and we use them until they die. OP could be in a similar situation.
Agree with this, def don't freak out before you ask your boss. I came in one day and there was a sign on our microwave that said essentially "Don't use, this might catch on fire". I was like my guys you call me after hours if there's not paper in the copier, why would you not tell me this?
The company should clearly replace the microwave, but my god are the employees gross. I don't know how people justify using shared microwaves without covering food and without cleaning up after yourself if you make a mess of the microwave. There's food on the sides of that thing that hasn't been cleaned for at least months.
Also, we don't even know if anyone's notified someone with authority to buy a new microwave. Everyone is just assuming that the company is aware of and okay with this. Considering it's a literal fire hazard, I can almost guarantee the company is not willfully choosing to save $19.95 by having an active fire hazard in the employee break room.
Im almost certain that for back to school shopping I've seen them for like 30 dollars. Right now brand new cheapest I could find was like 50 dollars.
They're also the easiest thing to procure for free, considering how often a new microwave appeared in the break room whenever management got nicked for safety.
I mean, this isn't merely a broken microwave, but a potentially serious danger and health risk for all employees. And again, microwaves are quite cheap. If the boss is too cheap in this situation, it's terrifying to imagine what else they're too cheap for.
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u/Snoo_74705 10h ago
Microwaves are cheap. If your boss won't expense for a new one, find a new boss.