Although being vegan is a pretty easy lifestyle to follow for the most part, there are still some difficult situations vegan professionals face in the workplace. Here are ten of the common complaints experienced by vegans in the workplace, and some ideas for dealing with them.
The Company Party
Many companies don’t consider their vegan employees, and this is especially obvious during company parties. Regardless of the formality of the event, these parties often fail to offer any vegan dishes – which means resident vegans go home hungry. If you are a vegan in a non-vegan company, don’t be afraid to take the bull by the horns, so to speak. Ask ahead whether a vegan option can be included in the menu. Party organizers are often surprised at home many non-vegans choose the vegan option too.
The Awkward Office Lunch
Eating lunch with colleagues can be stressful for vegan professionals because what you’re eating (or not) always comes up. The best way to deal with this is to make it a non-issue. Don’t apologize or explain – just be up front about your veganism and make sure you go somewhere where there will be something for you to eat. When people see that you are comfortable, their discomfort lessens – and you may even get a chance for a great conversation about why you are vegan (although don’t force the issue in this situation – that could lead to more discomfort for both you and your colleagues).
Team Outings
Going to a distant locale for a team-building activity or a professional work-related event are more fun when the functions consider vegan participants. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Like company parties, team outings and functions tend to be a source of stress when vegans are not given vegan options. Once again, planning ahead can help – letting people know up front about your veganism helps you to avoid getting into a situation that it’s sticky to get out of gracefully.
The Non-stop Questioning
Most vegans don’t mind answering questions about their lifestyle choice, but it becomes a problem when it gets in the way of your productivity. Establish some boundaries, and when it’s not appropriate, don’t be afraid to change the topic, or tell the questioner that you don’t have time to talk.
Repetitive Explanations
For some reason, there are people who just don’t understand the concept of veganism. Most of them are not willing to see that a vegan diet includes so much more than vegetables – or that a vegan lifestyle is about more than food. They try to make you explain yourself, which often proves to be a waste of time because they’re not even listening in the first place. Avoid these people. You’ve explained it once – don’t get into ongoing battles with people who are just looking to annoy you.
The Nitpicker
Nitpicking by office mates may not be annoying at first, but when it goes on and on, it can become unbearable. “Are vegan even allowed to eat tofu?”; “Aren’t faux leather bags fake?”; “Your vegan make-up looks a lot more smudged than mine.” These comments are endless, and it’s your call to put an end to them.
The Attempts at Conversion
And then there are colleagues who claim to care a lot about your diet and your lifestyle, but try to convert you to eating meat or dairy products. Don’t play along. If you don’t add fuel to the fire, they’ll soon get bored and find someone else to bother.
Being out of the ‘Circle’
Being the only vegan in a workplace can take its toll when you are left out by your colleagues for after-work activities because they don’t think you enjoy the same things they do. Find other ways to connect with your co-workers, and other topics of conversation. Do you like mountain biking? Suggest a biking outing to your work buddies. Your veganism doesn’t need to define every part of your life – it’s part of who you are, but there’s a lot more to you as well – don’t be afraid to reach out and connect with colleagues on these other levels.
Stereotyping the vegan employee
People you work with might have had previous encounters with other vegans. These encounters, sometimes bad, often set the stereotype of what a vegan is. The next thing you know, they’re throwing judgments about your personality —all because of the vegan stereotype they have in mind. Don’t lecture others about veganism, and let them get to know you before you even have that conversation.
Underhanded jokes and comments
Being the only vegan in a workplace can mean that you become the butt of jokes by your colleagues. Be good natured about the jokes – lots of them are harmless. But if they get offensive, or if you get tired of hearing them, don’t hesitate to stand up and -nicely but firmly – explain that the jokes are old, and you’d appreciate it if they would drop it.
