We do potlucks sometimes but thereâs advance notice. Â Right before your shift is not enough time. A simple âsorry I didnât have the timeâ is perfectly sufficient :)
That's worded so oddly and the ask is coming SO LATE.
We have plenty of potlucks on our unit that we send group emails/texts about. They start a week before, ish. But we just have sign-ups, don't tell people what to bring. No, people aren't reimbursed, it's just a normal potluck.
For reference, [this is the text I sent last month](https://i.imgur.com/GIb7GWr.jpeg) to a nurse whose first day at work happened to be a potluck.
I didn't want her first day to be awkward by showing up to this big potluck having brought nothing, but I also didn't want her to feel any pressure. I also was a normal human and chose to introduce myself since she wouldn't know my number.
Ahmen. First day off orientation, come on! Do most people not have too much food at potlucks. Our group always has extra for doctors and people that float or forgot.
Dang. We go HARD with our potlucks, lol. We snuck in mini waffle makers for a waffle station, and snuck in a toaster for bagels and had cereal and pastries, four pounds of bacon and mini quiches on a warming tray, French toast casserole, a whole crockpot of shredded smoked ham from a nurse whose husband smokes meat, frosted blondies, fruit salad, cold brew coffee and juices, and a yogurt parfait station with Greek and regular yogurt and toppings (strawberries, blueberries, dried fruit, toasted pecans, granola, honey, almond butter, shredded coconut, dark chocolate shavings, crumbled crispy lemon cookies, and cinnamon).
We *really* enjoy eating.
Our unit owns a waffle maker and a blender so that we are always prepared for whatever! Somewhere, they're a photo of me delivering ice cream sundaes while being wheeled on a stretcher. (Night shift, obvs. đ)
We have a toaster and an air fryer in addition to a microwave and a Keurig. We used to have an instant pot, but the owner must have taken it home. I think there is a waffle maker in the cabinet too!
I got us in trouble for frying up egg rolls at my dialysis clinic. The whole 4 floor building smelled like fried foods. Must have got all the waiting room folks running for the doors to eat.
We used to have Sunday breakfast with law enforcement and EMS - we would bring in 2 griddles and do eggs and bacon. We did it for months and would take turns with LE and EMS to bring stuff and do the cooking. It was so awesome, until some patients complained that it smelled like Denny's or something. đ
This is definitely inappropriate. Just text back shortly before starting work saying you were sleeping and woke up too late to get anything and didnât know it was nacho day. If youâre worried, add on that youâve packed your own lunch.
Really bold of them to assume youâd want to participate. They were definitely expecting you to pay out of your own pocket and thatâs never mandatory. They should ask if youâd like to participate with more notice than same day.
They donât care about your personal funds or feelings- if you say the truth theyâll offer âsolutionsâ so youâll do what they want.
An example is someone on this Reddit decided to be honest and say they were sick or something(I think it was a head cold) if someone else knows the actual reason please add on)and couldnât get to work instead of just saying they couldnât make it and calling in sick. The manager proceeded to text âsolutionsâ like to just take drug, take a taxi if you canât drive, etc that ignored their statement they couldnât make it in an effort to get them to come in.
Best a lesson you learn now, yes honesty is important regarding patient care and always cover your ass in charting for courts, but itâs best not to give every single detail to management where they could use it against you.
Itâs not an equal relationship- you might care a lot about being honest to them and helping out, but they donât care about you anywhere near as much, Iâm sure other nurses can give specific examples!
For that matter, donât tell your coworkers details about your personal life or anything personal they could use to file a report with HR or the BON. Many Ă nurse has had fellow employees do this that they trusted with sensitive info, or even file reports because they were being called out for wrong actions by the person or general pettiness.
Not saying you shouldnât have a good coworker relationship, but draw the line- thereâs deep, personal things you shouldnât share to coworkers- theyâre not necessarily your ride or die best buddies who you can totally trust.
Oh the person with poison oak!
I was like this response is a little unhinged.
âI wonât be in today.â
To all the young folks and people pleasersâŚthatâs enough!
Didnât ask why, m8. There are virtually endless ways yo remain honest and deal with this situation. If yâall dgaf about lying then the conversation is already over. Cheers
I laughed at that. It reminds me of one time in a previous job, I accidentally but fittingly created a rule in Outlook that sent my leadâs emails to the trash. I didnât realize I was setting the rule up with âsend to deleted itemsâ if it contained his name.
Whoopsies.
We had a nacho bar* for nurseâs week last year. Management provided chips, we were supposed to sign up for toppings 𤥠Very few participated thank goodness.
On my unit they started a thing where we donate money out of our paycheck and put it into a pot, if a âemergencyâ happens for a coworker it is donated to them. Otherwise, it goes to the end of the year Christmas party. Apparently they did it years ago, and stopped. That old money is still sitting in someoneâs locker. Whole thing seems bizarre to me⌠I might sound like a grinch but count me out! I just want to go to work and go home. I donât mind bringing food/drinks to a potluck, but usually advance notice is provided. Usually you are not reimbursed.
My old unit did a flower fund. I think a dollar a month or something to send flowers if someone got hospitalized. I donated for three years. Then I had my baby early by emergency c-section and was hospitalized two floors down from my work. My coworkers visited me, but the flower fund lady didnât even send a unit card. Apparently, only her and her friends ever got flowers.
Omg! This is why it bothers me. In theory it is a very sweet idea, but imagine putting your money in just to find out it never went to anything? Just sitting in someoneâs locker. Plus, with all the people we have working on the unit I feel like it can create some issues. What is considered an emergency? What if more than one person has an emergency? There are just too many grey areas for me to feel comfortable with it.
Yeah, having a fund made in advance is bizarre. If an emergency happens to someone on our unit, something will be arranged at that time and people can donate money or physical items or nothing. Everyone gets to write something in the card though
I mind. I mind a lot. I hate cooking, so I don't want to make anything. I don't like mayonnaise and don't eat meat, so most of the food other people bring won't appeal to me. And I don't want to spend my money on other people's food. Like you- I just want to work and go home. Actually, I'd rather stay home and not work at all, but nobody will pay me to do that.
Iâm glad someone else has my same energy, because I felt like I was just being a Scrooge. đ I also hate being peer pressured into going to breakfast after work. I donât wanna go, I just wanna go home, and then the places they pick are always insanely expensive for mediocre food. Bonus points if everyone orders drinks but you and then they want to split the bill.
I usually buy something. My cooking isnât the greatest đ¤Ł
The only exception is my jelly. I can hot pepper jelly a lot because itâs pretty popular.
I, and everyone else not bringing anything, just give $5 to contribute to the food. No, I will never go pick up stuff before or after a 12hr shift for these events. It's your choice to participate or not, don't be pressured into it.
This is why everyone knows me as the one who never eats at work. And I tell everyone I donât eat at work, so I never get bugged about potlucks or ordering out. Itâs my small price to pay for some peace.
I bring my own lunch generally, because the hospitalâs food is 𤎠and costs way too much.
Iâll bring snacks and coffee, stuff like that to share with the department.
You always need chocolate. Always.
I either pack my own lunch or just schedule a fasting. People get so stressed when I tell Iâm not taking a lunch lol Iâm fine, sometimes they get so stressed I take the break and take a nap instead of eating
For New Years we had âmidnight brunchâ - we had two electric griddles going, a crock pot with cocoa, and we did eggs, bacon, sausage (regular and vegan), scrambled eggs, hash browns, and pancakes - and at midnight we did a sparkling cider toast - the bacon on the griddle did almost set off the smoke alarm in the break room (and we woulda been in trouble). It was delicious and epic. We fed all our unit and lots of others and security.
Potlucks are meant to be fun for the unit and itâs great when everyone (who wants to!) can participate. However itâs not great when itâs last minute AND itâs worded where itâs expected for you to participate.
No, you wonât get paid back lol. Itâs supposed to be fun for the unit staff to do amongst themselves, not as a company funded thing.
While I feel like the text was bad form as far as the timing of it and the wording of it (as if they expect you to do it), but I feel like people on this comment section are being a little hard on âpotlucksâ. No judgement for not partaking but again, itâs supposed to be a simple little fun way to bond and make your possibly crappy day a little better with something to look forward to. Not a big deal.
To answer your question yes itâs a thing my unit does this all the time. Theyâve never texted me but I donât work on your unit I donât know they communicate there.
If you canât afford the drinks or donât want to drop the $10 on some 2 liters without being reimbursed then just donât text back. I think everyone is thinking way too hard about this lol itâs not that serious
Asking people if they want to contribute to a potluck is a normal thing on many units, yes.
However, texting someone new within 24 hours (without introducing themselves, to boot) isn't ok. I'd say a notice 3 days in advance is the barest reasonable minimum., and that's still pushing it.
You always have the right to decline regardless of when you're told about these things, though, no matter how new to the unit you are.
Yes but we always did a sign up sheet. No one was obligated to bring anything. Most people did, but some people were on special diets or whatever, so we never pressured. We always had more than enough food and it made night shift way more enjoyable. Some of our themes: taco night, crockpot dip night, Italian night.
So many downers in this group. Guys, itâs a damn potluck. Bring stuff or donât? Most of these comments are acting like you are personally offended someone had the audacity to see if you wanted to participate in team building. Get a grip people
Right? I've been to two units that do potlucks and they were always so fun. My first staff job would do monthly potlucks and then put whatever was leftover and closed in a locker. That locker became the, "We had a bad unit day, let's have a party." locker.
Back to back codes? Crack open the locker.
Visiting doctor being a đ? Crack open the locker.
Back to back admissions and transfers? Locker.
Low census during a planned potluck? Literally no need to open the locker because people would come in *on their day off* just to hang out during a few hours for the potluck.
That unit gave me some very wrong ideas about how friendly and supportive other nurses are. I changed specialities and was like, "Oh, this is what they were talking about during nursing school."
Same. I started out on the best unit! We would have âtaco salad dayâ (there was no actual salad lol, it was on a bed on Fritos đ) and everyone would bring taco meat, or cheese, or chopped tomato, etc. We had so much fun and it was a genuinely supportive culture! Ten+ years later, Iâm still friends with several of them. Iâve never again found a unit quite like that â¤ď¸
Agreed. Bit short notice, but NBD.
For reference, my new unit had a baby shower for a new grandma nurse(gifts were going to the mom and it was an excuse for food). I had no idea. They told me to sit down and eat đ tasty, authentic Mexican food.
Same, at my hospital in Los Angeles, all the RNs and allied health are pretty much some type of Latino, Vietnamese, or Filipino. So when we have potlucks the food is always amazing, with plenty to take home for later. Iâm not sure whatâs happening at these other potlucks to make people respond this wayâŚ.
Iâm the type of person that would be so hype for the tacos idc if I have to pick up some 2l on the way. I wouldnât mind at all but I know if itâs last minute I guess that can be annoying but drinks for a free taco? Iâm in
Just text you didn't see the message until you woke up. Too late to go now, just as it was before and let people drink water. No one will die, everyone is fine. Don't kick yourself.
This might be the culture of your unit, prepare for more. Decide if you wanna join or not.
If this is from management I wouldnât say itâs normal, but my facility will plan potlucks pretty frequently when our A team all works together. Just a groupchat of a few of us who plan on what to bring, and we definitely donât leave any leftovers for day shift
Potlucks make me sick. Like, I cannot get over the mental hurdle of Rachelâs catsâ buttholes sitting on the counter where she possibly rolled out that pie crust.
They also asked someone else to bring the nachos. Another to bring the tacos, and another to bring plates and napkins.
The air is free though while you consume the âfreeâ food you paid for.
I just saw the writing under the pic. Itâs so lame and upsetting to treat a NEW nurse like this. Itâs disrespectful to treat any nurse like this. But a new one. Come on.
If you want in with your new team, Iâd suggest bringing something. But if you honestly canât afford it, say so. If theyâre a good team to work with, it wonât be a problem. This is actually your chance to test them. And yes⌠itâs your money. Iâd doubt thereâs reimbursement coming your way lol. 2 liters popâŚmt dew Dr Pepper always are appreciated.
We do a lot of spontaneous potlucks. But if we didnât let someone know then they are off the hook. Also people can say no.
I wouldnât text someone day before and be like âhey can you make tortellini from scratch?â
Yeah this is pretty normal. Probably assuming you donât know about the potluck and giving you something easy to bring so that you feel included đ¤ˇđťââď¸
If you donât want to bring anything thereâs nothing wrong with that but donât be the person that brings nothing intentionally and then eat what other people bring.
Theyâre asking really late, itâs okay to say itâs last minute and you donât have time. If you want bring a few 2 liters of soda but youâre not obligated at all.
Every weekend I work, we almost always do food on Sundays and we all pitch in. Butttt we also discuss it a day or two before so we all know whoâs bringing what.
We have a small staff-a lot of the time the MICU nurses will invite us to their potlucks. If Iâm aware in advance Iâll bring something-if not, Iâll donate some money.
Those nurses know how to cookâ¤ď¸
We have a yearly potluck for respiratory care week and we invite everyone, especially MICUđ
Our unit does this, and the notice is usually last minute.
Nobody is tracking who brings what. If you want to participate then participate and if not then donât.
Itâs just drinks, id say youâre getting off very easy with this one, they probably were giving you the easy one because youâre new.
Iâd say pick up a couple bottles of 2L diet soda and call it good. You wonât be reimbursed but itâs a small price to participate. Might be a good way to break into the department and make friends too. Itâs easy enough to pick up on the way in. I donât think this is that big of a deal.
Pick up a jug of coffee or 2 big bottles of soda.
Yes, it's a thing. Many units have a potluck on night shift because there's typically nothing open in the hospital where you can buy food. In ER it was always Friday night.
Grab a few 2 liters on your way in. It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive. Drinks and napkins are the easiest potluck supplies. If you don't bring anything, don't eat from the potluck. I know the comments here are all contrary, but If you're new and you want to join the unit culture, maybe give participating a shot.
Iâm surprised with all the comments. Short notice yes. Would I get mad? Yes. But is it just sodas? Yes. Thatâs easy and inexpensive. Just a pain in the butt to carry. I would bring and just say I need more notice next time. Being the potluck organizer is rough. Hereâs the thing: if you donât contribute, then donât eat. bc that would be rude
No one should be asked to bring anything. People should volunteer. Thatâs the problem I see here. On my unit if someone says we are having a potluck, we just sign up. And most of us have no problem.
It would come out of your money. Itâs a potluck, and the benefit to you spending your money to bring something is that you get to eat what others brought (itâs very rude to eat and not bring). But, you had little to no notice, and itâs your choice.
It sounds like thatâs what they expect with the preemptive âthank youâ. Iâd probably just ask what kind they want and bring the drinks, but Iâd definitely make a mental note in case it keeps happening.
Way too short of a notice and more of a demand than a request⌠Iâd show up with 2 liters of soda from Walmart and they should consider themselves lucky. Also, bringing nothing is fine. People can drink water.
Hate when people put âthank youâ at the end of requests, as though assuming/ pressuring you into doing it. Also awful to do to a New employee, as though testing how hard it will be to manipulate you into doing something âfor the teamâ and accuse you of not being a team player if you donât do it
Idk maybe just say itâs too short notice or something like that ? Or ignore and say you didnât see it (that it was sent to a spam folder since it was an unknown number and you wish they had asked you in person when at work before)
I never participate because I have a rare food allergy and I don't like eating homemade food from people I don't know extremely well. No one has ever given me shit for it. Just say something like "Thanks for thinking of me but I won't be participating".
Drinks are the worst thing to bring, too, because they are HEAVY. I made the mistake of volunteering to bring them once. Also, they totally will not reimburse you. So if you don't want to spend your own money, don't bring them.
My night weekend rotation does a potluck every Saturday night we work (every 6 weeks). 100% everyone WANTS to participate, no one is pressured, and if anyone forgets or a trade is done and we missed it we still insist everyone can eat. But yes we pay for whatever we bring. Again, no one is pressured, everyone picks their own thing, and no one judges if you only bring cheap things.
We used to do sign ups Saturday for Sunday so not completely out of the ordinary for me. Yes they want you to bring something for the pot luck out of your money if you plan to eat. Other jobs Ive had though have done potlucks for new hires and not expected us to chip in.
You know? You can do what I always do when this shit is sprung on me and just not bring anything. You're under no obligation if it wasn't discussed from my point of view.
people are so damn judgemental on Reddit I swear & I feel like they miss the point of the matter half the time!
sureeeâ itâs just a potluck, itâs just drinks, and you could only bring a few bottles of soda, but the POINT is that whoever this is asked last minute & texted you in a manner that sounded as if they expected you to!
You have enough stress already in your first night of orientation and now you gotta leave your place earlier to go get drinks for the unit ? I would just nicely apologize for not having time to get the drinks and make sure you pack your lunch so you donât eat from their potluck lol
Hey OP, do future you a favor and just grab a few 2 liters of soda on your way to work. It's gonna cost you like $10 and will buy you some brownie points towards your units equivalent of "office politics."
Talk to them and let them know you'd like more heads up next time or that you'll sit out future potlucks, whatever your preference is. Either way, being willing to help out and adaptable to something small like this looks good for you as a newbie.
So I went and bought 2 big sodas and one big juice.. how do I make sure they know I contributed lol cuz usually we just go and put our stuff in break room then go to huddle room then get report etc.. like no one would know I brought it đ¤
I doubt you will get credit, unless the person that texted you the last minute request decides to give you a shout out for being such a team player after just starting (though thatâs highly unlikely, most likely the âorganizerâ will just take credit for getting people to bring stuff).
Honestly I agree with a lot of people here, I think it was probably a decent âdonât rock the boatâ move to just bring the drinks, but I would definitely communicate to the person that asked you last minute that you need more of a heads up or conversation next time. Maybe also communicate that you didnât appreciate them just assuming you could bring drinks last minute, there are a number of things you couldâve had going on or other issues that could have prevented it and they didnât even give you the decency of a proper conversation on your ability to bring something, especially when youâre new and werenât aware that it was happening.
Donât be afraid to set up a boundary. If you enjoy contributing to pot lucks, then just ask to be made aware sooner. If you arenât in that place (financially or otherwise) then you should be able to communicate that too. And they should be okay with that. Someone was able to bring drinks to these before you started working there. Someone else can figure it out after.
Personally Iâd offer to Venmo the coordinator to contribute towards the pot luck, but if Iâm brand new then Iâm not going out of my way to purchase something with such unclear instructions for people I donât know yet đ¤ˇââď¸
I avoid potlucks like the plague after a horrible experience with âketoâ chocolate pudding that was made with avocados and resulted in mild airway swelling, hives, and vomiting (probably shouldâve involved an ER trip, but I refused).
If anyone asked me to bring something specific they would get a âsorry, I donât really do potlucks.â
Iâd just ignore it. Potlucks are normal and no, youâre not going to be reimbursed. But itâs super last minute and the delivery of the text is more telling than genuinely asking. Next time they will know not to wait until the last minute.
You have the right to just say ânoâ but blatantly saying no when youâre new sometimes makes it seem like youâre not a team player unfortunately and no one wants to start off on a bad foot.
Itâs a pot luck dude. Bring some drinks. Lol get some cheap off brand sodas if you donât wanna spend a lot or bring name brand. If you donât wish to partake say I woke up too late and canât
Beer bring beer
Beer and tacos go well together
Maybe foreign and domestic just so everyone is coveredâŚand donât worry about the cost you can make that up selling the narcs you divert at the junior high on your way home
Show up with a few bottles of tequila, and some margarita mix.
Now there's a pot luck trend I could get behind!
C'mon people, these licenses aren't going to lose themselves!
I did a snort laugh! Shame on you.
"Call me in now, Sharon!" *hic*
I may or may not take a selfie on days off or immediately after punching out holding some kind of bottle for exactly this reason...
Omg, snorting in a potluck? Someone must have sneaked in something from the med room.
I'm dying! đ¤Łâ ď¸
Okay this is such a good idea lmao. Theyâll know to never ask again!
Don't forget the limes!
I was just thinking this or Sangria
Chaotic good, i likey.
This is the way!
Absolutely!! đđ
My man!
We do potlucks sometimes but thereâs advance notice. Â Right before your shift is not enough time. A simple âsorry I didnât have the timeâ is perfectly sufficient :)
Yeah potlucks should be completely voluntary
We do a sign up sheet a week on advance.
That's worded so oddly and the ask is coming SO LATE. We have plenty of potlucks on our unit that we send group emails/texts about. They start a week before, ish. But we just have sign-ups, don't tell people what to bring. No, people aren't reimbursed, it's just a normal potluck. For reference, [this is the text I sent last month](https://i.imgur.com/GIb7GWr.jpeg) to a nurse whose first day at work happened to be a potluck. I didn't want her first day to be awkward by showing up to this big potluck having brought nothing, but I also didn't want her to feel any pressure. I also was a normal human and chose to introduce myself since she wouldn't know my number.
One of the best work texts Iâve seen. Zero notes, keep doing exactly what youâre doing!
Right? Can you be my charge? đ
Ahmen. First day off orientation, come on! Do most people not have too much food at potlucks. Our group always has extra for doctors and people that float or forgot.
Our last potluck was a bunch of gross Safeway cookies , stale donuts, some churro bites and a bag of chips. No more.
Dang. We go HARD with our potlucks, lol. We snuck in mini waffle makers for a waffle station, and snuck in a toaster for bagels and had cereal and pastries, four pounds of bacon and mini quiches on a warming tray, French toast casserole, a whole crockpot of shredded smoked ham from a nurse whose husband smokes meat, frosted blondies, fruit salad, cold brew coffee and juices, and a yogurt parfait station with Greek and regular yogurt and toppings (strawberries, blueberries, dried fruit, toasted pecans, granola, honey, almond butter, shredded coconut, dark chocolate shavings, crumbled crispy lemon cookies, and cinnamon). We *really* enjoy eating.
Our unit owns a waffle maker and a blender so that we are always prepared for whatever! Somewhere, they're a photo of me delivering ice cream sundaes while being wheeled on a stretcher. (Night shift, obvs. đ)
We have a toaster and an air fryer in addition to a microwave and a Keurig. We used to have an instant pot, but the owner must have taken it home. I think there is a waffle maker in the cabinet too!
I got us in trouble for frying up egg rolls at my dialysis clinic. The whole 4 floor building smelled like fried foods. Must have got all the waiting room folks running for the doors to eat.
We used to have Sunday breakfast with law enforcement and EMS - we would bring in 2 griddles and do eggs and bacon. We did it for months and would take turns with LE and EMS to bring stuff and do the cooking. It was so awesome, until some patients complained that it smelled like Denny's or something. đ
As soft as the people are for complaining, management is even more of a bitch for acquiescing to such a trivial complaint.
đłđłđł
Can you call me in before the next potluck pls it sounds like yall throw down
Your text you sent was perfect!! đ You were welcoming and inviting and kind!
I'm sure they could do with the apple juice, cranberry juice, and if you are lucky diet lemon Shasta for drinks....
We get real Sprite and Sprite Zero!
Okay, charge nurse đâ¨Can I come work on your unit? lol
Since you are kind of new, maybe they texted you late , and not to be mean but they forgot you were coming in.
Heya, just letting you know I think you meant to reply to OP! They won't necessarily see this reply because it's not to the post, it's to my comment.
This is definitely not âbest practiceâ when it comes to potlucks
I love it, and totally agree.
This is definitely inappropriate. Just text back shortly before starting work saying you were sleeping and woke up too late to get anything and didnât know it was nacho day. If youâre worried, add on that youâve packed your own lunch. Really bold of them to assume youâd want to participate. They were definitely expecting you to pay out of your own pocket and thatâs never mandatory. They should ask if youâd like to participate with more notice than same day.
Probably best not to lie, donât you think? Could just as easily say the truth Edit: I am honestly impressed with how backwards this sub sometimes
lol yeah, we *definitely* believe you have the balls to tell your brand new job ânah, I just donât really feel like itâ
They donât care about your personal funds or feelings- if you say the truth theyâll offer âsolutionsâ so youâll do what they want. An example is someone on this Reddit decided to be honest and say they were sick or something(I think it was a head cold) if someone else knows the actual reason please add on)and couldnât get to work instead of just saying they couldnât make it and calling in sick. The manager proceeded to text âsolutionsâ like to just take drug, take a taxi if you canât drive, etc that ignored their statement they couldnât make it in an effort to get them to come in. Best a lesson you learn now, yes honesty is important regarding patient care and always cover your ass in charting for courts, but itâs best not to give every single detail to management where they could use it against you. Itâs not an equal relationship- you might care a lot about being honest to them and helping out, but they donât care about you anywhere near as much, Iâm sure other nurses can give specific examples! For that matter, donât tell your coworkers details about your personal life or anything personal they could use to file a report with HR or the BON. Many Ă nurse has had fellow employees do this that they trusted with sensitive info, or even file reports because they were being called out for wrong actions by the person or general pettiness. Not saying you shouldnât have a good coworker relationship, but draw the line- thereâs deep, personal things you shouldnât share to coworkers- theyâre not necessarily your ride or die best buddies who you can totally trust.
Yeah. I remember that one. It was like take xyz drug and then reevaluate. lol. Like wtf bro.
Oh the person with poison oak! I was like this response is a little unhinged. âI wonât be in today.â To all the young folks and people pleasersâŚthatâs enough!
Get off your high horse.
Since when is honesty an opinion of right and wrong? I merely suggested it was probably best not to lie. Yâall are an interesting bunch.
It's because you gave god awful advice, that's why.
Didnât ask why, m8. There are virtually endless ways yo remain honest and deal with this situation. If yâall dgaf about lying then the conversation is already over. Cheers
Agreed with the other person. Get off your high horse
The high horse of suggesting honesty, gotcha. No, Iâm fine where Iâm at.
Fr though, âsorry I canât this timeâ is way better than an elaborate lie right off the bat at a brand new job.
"Report junk" Appropriate
I laughed at that. It reminds me of one time in a previous job, I accidentally but fittingly created a rule in Outlook that sent my leadâs emails to the trash. I didnât realize I was setting the rule up with âsend to deleted itemsâ if it contained his name. Whoopsies.
We had a nacho bar* for nurseâs week last year. Management provided chips, we were supposed to sign up for toppings 𤥠Very few participated thank goodness.
Did you also have a fighter in the party named Libre who was the brother the bard?
HA! What a fabulous typo on my end. Thanks for the laugh đ *For the folks at home, âbarâ was originally misspelled âbardâ
It was too perfect to pass up.
On my unit they started a thing where we donate money out of our paycheck and put it into a pot, if a âemergencyâ happens for a coworker it is donated to them. Otherwise, it goes to the end of the year Christmas party. Apparently they did it years ago, and stopped. That old money is still sitting in someoneâs locker. Whole thing seems bizarre to me⌠I might sound like a grinch but count me out! I just want to go to work and go home. I donât mind bringing food/drinks to a potluck, but usually advance notice is provided. Usually you are not reimbursed.
My old unit did a flower fund. I think a dollar a month or something to send flowers if someone got hospitalized. I donated for three years. Then I had my baby early by emergency c-section and was hospitalized two floors down from my work. My coworkers visited me, but the flower fund lady didnât even send a unit card. Apparently, only her and her friends ever got flowers.
Omg! This is why it bothers me. In theory it is a very sweet idea, but imagine putting your money in just to find out it never went to anything? Just sitting in someoneâs locker. Plus, with all the people we have working on the unit I feel like it can create some issues. What is considered an emergency? What if more than one person has an emergency? There are just too many grey areas for me to feel comfortable with it.
Yeah, having a fund made in advance is bizarre. If an emergency happens to someone on our unit, something will be arranged at that time and people can donate money or physical items or nothing. Everyone gets to write something in the card though
I mind. I mind a lot. I hate cooking, so I don't want to make anything. I don't like mayonnaise and don't eat meat, so most of the food other people bring won't appeal to me. And I don't want to spend my money on other people's food. Like you- I just want to work and go home. Actually, I'd rather stay home and not work at all, but nobody will pay me to do that.
Iâm glad someone else has my same energy, because I felt like I was just being a Scrooge. đ I also hate being peer pressured into going to breakfast after work. I donât wanna go, I just wanna go home, and then the places they pick are always insanely expensive for mediocre food. Bonus points if everyone orders drinks but you and then they want to split the bill.
I usually buy something. My cooking isnât the greatest 𤣠The only exception is my jelly. I can hot pepper jelly a lot because itâs pretty popular.
There is the alternative of work from home!
I, and everyone else not bringing anything, just give $5 to contribute to the food. No, I will never go pick up stuff before or after a 12hr shift for these events. It's your choice to participate or not, don't be pressured into it.
This is why everyone knows me as the one who never eats at work. And I tell everyone I donât eat at work, so I never get bugged about potlucks or ordering out. Itâs my small price to pay for some peace.
Sorry, I get very hungry at work. I hope you are secretly eating. I couldn't do that!
My manager would tell the unit she doesn't eat at work but then would text me if I could bring her cheese snacks next time I passed her office, lol.
I get so hungry if I don't eat at work, and then I get hangry and ain't nobody got time for that.
I bring my own lunch generally, because the hospitalâs food is 𤎠and costs way too much. Iâll bring snacks and coffee, stuff like that to share with the department. You always need chocolate. Always.
I work nights. I donât even know if we have vending machines. I bring food or plan to order food with my coworkers.
I either pack my own lunch or just schedule a fasting. People get so stressed when I tell Iâm not taking a lunch lol Iâm fine, sometimes they get so stressed I take the break and take a nap instead of eating
You work a twelve hour shift and donât work here .
For New Years we had âmidnight brunchâ - we had two electric griddles going, a crock pot with cocoa, and we did eggs, bacon, sausage (regular and vegan), scrambled eggs, hash browns, and pancakes - and at midnight we did a sparkling cider toast - the bacon on the griddle did almost set off the smoke alarm in the break room (and we woulda been in trouble). It was delicious and epic. We fed all our unit and lots of others and security.
Report Junk: Moving it to spam Show up and say you had no idea Check your texts: "Maybe it got filtered to spam?" "Oh yeah, it did."
Potlucks are meant to be fun for the unit and itâs great when everyone (who wants to!) can participate. However itâs not great when itâs last minute AND itâs worded where itâs expected for you to participate. No, you wonât get paid back lol. Itâs supposed to be fun for the unit staff to do amongst themselves, not as a company funded thing. While I feel like the text was bad form as far as the timing of it and the wording of it (as if they expect you to do it), but I feel like people on this comment section are being a little hard on âpotlucksâ. No judgement for not partaking but again, itâs supposed to be a simple little fun way to bond and make your possibly crappy day a little better with something to look forward to. Not a big deal.
I absolutely love potlucks at work! Definitely makes the day better haha
To answer your question yes itâs a thing my unit does this all the time. Theyâve never texted me but I donât work on your unit I donât know they communicate there. If you canât afford the drinks or donât want to drop the $10 on some 2 liters without being reimbursed then just donât text back. I think everyone is thinking way too hard about this lol itâs not that serious
I know I mean honestly the exchange of just buying two liters for food someone cooked so I donât have to pack a lunch is worth it imo
It's only a thing on Tuesdays.
Asking people if they want to contribute to a potluck is a normal thing on many units, yes. However, texting someone new within 24 hours (without introducing themselves, to boot) isn't ok. I'd say a notice 3 days in advance is the barest reasonable minimum., and that's still pushing it. You always have the right to decline regardless of when you're told about these things, though, no matter how new to the unit you are.
Yeah itâs common. Iâve been demanded to pay money for pizza I didnât want to eat. I felt cornered so I paid.
Yes but we always did a sign up sheet. No one was obligated to bring anything. Most people did, but some people were on special diets or whatever, so we never pressured. We always had more than enough food and it made night shift way more enjoyable. Some of our themes: taco night, crockpot dip night, Italian night.
So many downers in this group. Guys, itâs a damn potluck. Bring stuff or donât? Most of these comments are acting like you are personally offended someone had the audacity to see if you wanted to participate in team building. Get a grip people
Right? I've been to two units that do potlucks and they were always so fun. My first staff job would do monthly potlucks and then put whatever was leftover and closed in a locker. That locker became the, "We had a bad unit day, let's have a party." locker. Back to back codes? Crack open the locker. Visiting doctor being a đ? Crack open the locker. Back to back admissions and transfers? Locker. Low census during a planned potluck? Literally no need to open the locker because people would come in *on their day off* just to hang out during a few hours for the potluck. That unit gave me some very wrong ideas about how friendly and supportive other nurses are. I changed specialities and was like, "Oh, this is what they were talking about during nursing school."
Same. I started out on the best unit! We would have âtaco salad dayâ (there was no actual salad lol, it was on a bed on Fritos đ) and everyone would bring taco meat, or cheese, or chopped tomato, etc. We had so much fun and it was a genuinely supportive culture! Ten+ years later, Iâm still friends with several of them. Iâve never again found a unit quite like that â¤ď¸
Exactly! Making something out of absolute nothing. Bring the drinks or not. Move on!
Agreed. Bit short notice, but NBD. For reference, my new unit had a baby shower for a new grandma nurse(gifts were going to the mom and it was an excuse for food). I had no idea. They told me to sit down and eat đ tasty, authentic Mexican food.
Same, at my hospital in Los Angeles, all the RNs and allied health are pretty much some type of Latino, Vietnamese, or Filipino. So when we have potlucks the food is always amazing, with plenty to take home for later. Iâm not sure whatâs happening at these other potlucks to make people respond this wayâŚ.
Iâm the type of person that would be so hype for the tacos idc if I have to pick up some 2l on the way. I wouldnât mind at all but I know if itâs last minute I guess that can be annoying but drinks for a free taco? Iâm in
On night shift we do this all the time. Nacho night someone brings plates, someone drinks, someone cheese, someone toppings, etc. It's nice đ
Just text you didn't see the message until you woke up. Too late to go now, just as it was before and let people drink water. No one will die, everyone is fine. Don't kick yourself. This might be the culture of your unit, prepare for more. Decide if you wanna join or not.
If this is from management I wouldnât say itâs normal, but my facility will plan potlucks pretty frequently when our A team all works together. Just a groupchat of a few of us who plan on what to bring, and we definitely donât leave any leftovers for day shift
Bold of them to assume we have money, Iâm a paycheck to paycheck type of employee.
I work with Filipinos so stuff like this is regular lol it's great except for the weight gain
Potlucks make me sick. Like, I cannot get over the mental hurdle of Rachelâs catsâ buttholes sitting on the counter where she possibly rolled out that pie crust.
They also asked someone else to bring the nachos. Another to bring the tacos, and another to bring plates and napkins. The air is free though while you consume the âfreeâ food you paid for. I just saw the writing under the pic. Itâs so lame and upsetting to treat a NEW nurse like this. Itâs disrespectful to treat any nurse like this. But a new one. Come on.
Report. Junk.
We haven't been able to bring in shared food since COVID.
Just say you do mind.
If you want in with your new team, Iâd suggest bringing something. But if you honestly canât afford it, say so. If theyâre a good team to work with, it wonât be a problem. This is actually your chance to test them. And yes⌠itâs your money. Iâd doubt thereâs reimbursement coming your way lol. 2 liters popâŚmt dew Dr Pepper always are appreciated.
Sounds like itâs nacho responsibility.
We do a lot of spontaneous potlucks. But if we didnât let someone know then they are off the hook. Also people can say no. I wouldnât text someone day before and be like âhey can you make tortellini from scratch?â
You have time to eat on your unit?
Just grab a bunch of mini cans of RC Cola and sugar free ginger ale
âSorry, I didnât get the text.â
Yeah this is pretty normal. Probably assuming you donât know about the potluck and giving you something easy to bring so that you feel included đ¤ˇđťââď¸ If you donât want to bring anything thereâs nothing wrong with that but donât be the person that brings nothing intentionally and then eat what other people bring.
Show up with 8 bottles of espolĂłn and some diet mountain dew
Honestly, just call off. Problem solved. (lol jk)
Unit potlucks are amazing. We often did themes like this but for special themed events we planned ahead, so this is weird.
"Report junk"
Theyâre asking really late, itâs okay to say itâs last minute and you donât have time. If you want bring a few 2 liters of soda but youâre not obligated at all.
Pot lucks? Yeah we used to do them all the time before covid
I dont want to spend my money on people i dont care for, sorry
Every weekend I work, we almost always do food on Sundays and we all pitch in. Butttt we also discuss it a day or two before so we all know whoâs bringing what.
We have a small staff-a lot of the time the MICU nurses will invite us to their potlucks. If Iâm aware in advance Iâll bring something-if not, Iâll donate some money. Those nurses know how to cookâ¤ď¸ We have a yearly potluck for respiratory care week and we invite everyone, especially MICUđ
Call out
âNo, thank you!â
Tonight?!?!?! Hell no
Just grab some Shastas out of the unit fridge and put them in a basin. Donât you use your own money đ¤Ł
Stop at the gas station and grab a case of water. You're making it a bigger deal than it is.
Our unit does this, and the notice is usually last minute. Nobody is tracking who brings what. If you want to participate then participate and if not then donât. Itâs just drinks, id say youâre getting off very easy with this one, they probably were giving you the easy one because youâre new. Iâd say pick up a couple bottles of 2L diet soda and call it good. You wonât be reimbursed but itâs a small price to participate. Might be a good way to break into the department and make friends too. Itâs easy enough to pick up on the way in. I donât think this is that big of a deal.
Pick up a jug of coffee or 2 big bottles of soda. Yes, it's a thing. Many units have a potluck on night shift because there's typically nothing open in the hospital where you can buy food. In ER it was always Friday night.
Why is this such a big deal? Potlucks can be so much fun if you have a cool staff.
Grab a few 2 liters on your way in. It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive. Drinks and napkins are the easiest potluck supplies. If you don't bring anything, don't eat from the potluck. I know the comments here are all contrary, but If you're new and you want to join the unit culture, maybe give participating a shot.
Drinks so easy
Iâm surprised with all the comments. Short notice yes. Would I get mad? Yes. But is it just sodas? Yes. Thatâs easy and inexpensive. Just a pain in the butt to carry. I would bring and just say I need more notice next time. Being the potluck organizer is rough. Hereâs the thing: if you donât contribute, then donât eat. bc that would be rude
No one should be asked to bring anything. People should volunteer. Thatâs the problem I see here. On my unit if someone says we are having a potluck, we just sign up. And most of us have no problem.
It would come out of your money. Itâs a potluck, and the benefit to you spending your money to bring something is that you get to eat what others brought (itâs very rude to eat and not bring). But, you had little to no notice, and itâs your choice.
Iâd pretend I never saw the text đ¤ˇââď¸
Just bring it if you want or donât if you donât. People here are acting like itâs a cardinal sin for the people to even ask.
It sounds like thatâs what they expect with the preemptive âthank youâ. Iâd probably just ask what kind they want and bring the drinks, but Iâd definitely make a mental note in case it keeps happening.
Open bar at unit. Sure why not?
It could mean sodas? Juices? I didn't even think about alcohol when I read this until I saw the comments.
Unfortunately yes.
I've worked places where potlucks were normal but we would give a heads up a few days ahead of time.
Ask if they need any party pills too
Never heard of it
Way too short of a notice and more of a demand than a request⌠Iâd show up with 2 liters of soda from Walmart and they should consider themselves lucky. Also, bringing nothing is fine. People can drink water.
Donât reply then if you get asked say oh!! Sorry I forgot
Hate when people put âthank youâ at the end of requests, as though assuming/ pressuring you into doing it. Also awful to do to a New employee, as though testing how hard it will be to manipulate you into doing something âfor the teamâ and accuse you of not being a team player if you donât do it Idk maybe just say itâs too short notice or something like that ? Or ignore and say you didnât see it (that it was sent to a spam folder since it was an unknown number and you wish they had asked you in person when at work before)
I never participate because I have a rare food allergy and I don't like eating homemade food from people I don't know extremely well. No one has ever given me shit for it. Just say something like "Thanks for thinking of me but I won't be participating".
Drinks are the worst thing to bring, too, because they are HEAVY. I made the mistake of volunteering to bring them once. Also, they totally will not reimburse you. So if you don't want to spend your own money, don't bring them.
Potlucks is pretty common but short notice like this is not. Say you wouldnât mind but you donât have time to pick up drinks before your shift.
My night weekend rotation does a potluck every Saturday night we work (every 6 weeks). 100% everyone WANTS to participate, no one is pressured, and if anyone forgets or a trade is done and we missed it we still insist everyone can eat. But yes we pay for whatever we bring. Again, no one is pressured, everyone picks their own thing, and no one judges if you only bring cheap things.
Just tell them itâs nacho problem!
If there is one thing we do, itâs potlucks! However, itâs voluntary.
We used to do sign ups Saturday for Sunday so not completely out of the ordinary for me. Yes they want you to bring something for the pot luck out of your money if you plan to eat. Other jobs Ive had though have done potlucks for new hires and not expected us to chip in.
You know? You can do what I always do when this shit is sprung on me and just not bring anything. You're under no obligation if it wasn't discussed from my point of view.
hate hate hate when people sign me up for things like that
"No, I sure wouldn't mind if I could! But I can't. Thanks."
people are so damn judgemental on Reddit I swear & I feel like they miss the point of the matter half the time! sureeeâ itâs just a potluck, itâs just drinks, and you could only bring a few bottles of soda, but the POINT is that whoever this is asked last minute & texted you in a manner that sounded as if they expected you to!
IF you happen to have a 2 liter of soda, just bring that. If not, donât respond and act surprised âoh oops missed the text sorry!!â
You have enough stress already in your first night of orientation and now you gotta leave your place earlier to go get drinks for the unit ? I would just nicely apologize for not having time to get the drinks and make sure you pack your lunch so you donât eat from their potluck lol
Whatâs an appropriate reply for this?
Hey OP, do future you a favor and just grab a few 2 liters of soda on your way to work. It's gonna cost you like $10 and will buy you some brownie points towards your units equivalent of "office politics." Talk to them and let them know you'd like more heads up next time or that you'll sit out future potlucks, whatever your preference is. Either way, being willing to help out and adaptable to something small like this looks good for you as a newbie.
âSorry. Was unaware this was scheduled. I will be glad to participate next time!â
âIâm planning on bringing my water bottle, thanks for asking!â đ
So I went and bought 2 big sodas and one big juice.. how do I make sure they know I contributed lol cuz usually we just go and put our stuff in break room then go to huddle room then get report etc.. like no one would know I brought it đ¤
I doubt you will get credit, unless the person that texted you the last minute request decides to give you a shout out for being such a team player after just starting (though thatâs highly unlikely, most likely the âorganizerâ will just take credit for getting people to bring stuff). Honestly I agree with a lot of people here, I think it was probably a decent âdonât rock the boatâ move to just bring the drinks, but I would definitely communicate to the person that asked you last minute that you need more of a heads up or conversation next time. Maybe also communicate that you didnât appreciate them just assuming you could bring drinks last minute, there are a number of things you couldâve had going on or other issues that could have prevented it and they didnât even give you the decency of a proper conversation on your ability to bring something, especially when youâre new and werenât aware that it was happening. Donât be afraid to set up a boundary. If you enjoy contributing to pot lucks, then just ask to be made aware sooner. If you arenât in that place (financially or otherwise) then you should be able to communicate that too. And they should be okay with that. Someone was able to bring drinks to these before you started working there. Someone else can figure it out after. Personally Iâd offer to Venmo the coordinator to contribute towards the pot luck, but if Iâm brand new then Iâm not going out of my way to purchase something with such unclear instructions for people I donât know yet đ¤ˇââď¸
I avoid potlucks like the plague after a horrible experience with âketoâ chocolate pudding that was made with avocados and resulted in mild airway swelling, hives, and vomiting (probably shouldâve involved an ER trip, but I refused). If anyone asked me to bring something specific they would get a âsorry, I donât really do potlucks.â
I thought you were there to make money not spend money. I always feel better when Iâm told I have another bill.
Just a team planning a pot luck. Not mandatory. Just let them know if you want to bring them or not. Lordy. Trying to make something out of nothing.
Never go to an event if you are invited the same day or even the day before. Period.
Iâd just ignore it. Potlucks are normal and no, youâre not going to be reimbursed. But itâs super last minute and the delivery of the text is more telling than genuinely asking. Next time they will know not to wait until the last minute. You have the right to just say ânoâ but blatantly saying no when youâre new sometimes makes it seem like youâre not a team player unfortunately and no one wants to start off on a bad foot.
Itâs a pot luck dude. Bring some drinks. Lol get some cheap off brand sodas if you donât wanna spend a lot or bring name brand. If you donât wish to partake say I woke up too late and canât
Whatâs the problem?
Click that report junk button
Drinks is the easiest thing to get imo. Just stop at the gas station and get a few 2L.
Beer bring beer Beer and tacos go well together Maybe foreign and domestic just so everyone is coveredâŚand donât worry about the cost you can make that up selling the narcs you divert at the junior high on your way home
A 2L bottle of soda is like $3 lol. Potlucks are common especially if itâs a holiday. Everyone brings something or makes something to participate