Posted in Party Planning Committee, The Office

An Office Thanksgiving

Good morning everyone and welcome back to the Breakroom. The big topic at hand this week is the impending holiday this next week, Thanksgiving Day! While it may not have the same level of decor and festivities as Christmas or Halloween, many offices still see this holiday come up in a myriad of ways. I am here to help navigate through the often murky etiquette and protocols that go into them.

Food Drive
Perhaps one of my favorite events that some offices do is holding a food drive, with those items then being donated to a local shelter. The question comes down to what to donate, as some people have issues with this topic. Some of you may be aware that Dunder Mifflin once tried to host one, and that clip can be found here. The main issue they came across was the donated some pretty terrible items including a dented can of water chestnuts, expired beans, racket balls, and something called “brown.” Darryl and Toby were so appalled they decided to force everyone to eat these disgusting contributions. The goal of a food drive is to provide food for those in need, not for you to clear your pantries of old and disgusting food.

So what should you donate? The best recommendation is simply go to the website of the shelter you wish to donate to (or call them) and they will typically have a list of things that can be donated as well as things they are in need of. Non-perishable is key so typically items that are canned but they will sometimes accepted things that are bagged and boxed. According to Feeding America1, their most common items are:
Peanut butter
Canned soup
Canned fruit
Canned vegetables
Canned stew
Canned fish
Canned beans
Pasta (most prefer whole grain)
Rice (most prefer brown rice)

Again, it does not hurt to specifically check with the organization you are donating to. But there are other ways you can give back. Besides physical items, most organizations will accept money donations so you can organization a fundraiser and donate the proceeds. You can also look into local shelters, churches, and similar organizations that might be hosting Thanksgiving meals for those in need and could use food donations to serve as well as volunteers to assist with the event. It is worth mentioning that we should be striving to give back more than once a year so perhaps this holiday event will urge your office to do this throughout the year.

Holiday Potluck
After a food drive or fundraiser, the other common occurrence is you might do an office potluck and if you are new to these, it is smart to be prepared. It is worth mentioning that these tips can certainly help with even a friends and family potluck-style event.

The key to a successful potluck is the organization of the event. The date and time needs to be made clear so everyone can coordinate around and if it changes, make that known to everyone. Next is the potluck menu which should involve a shared document that people can sign up with what their dish is going to be. This is done so people know what is already being brought and reduces the likelihood you end up with three potato salads, five pies, and several trays of deviled eggs. Some might have a rule that you must bring something to take part in the event but none of the ones I have been to have had that. Not everyone might have the time and resources to contribute and many people are like myself who tend to bring more than enough. I will mention that one rule people should stick to is if you put yourself down for something, you should stick to it. I have seen people who say they will bring on thing but change their mind and end up bringing something that someone else did and it throws of the menu. And please know that it is perfectly okay to buy something instead of cooking if you are not much of a chef. Cookies, salads, beverages, frozen appetizers; these are all great and no one will judge you for not cooking.

A few things to keep in mind, however. If you have a dish that needs to be frozen/refrigerated or kept warm, take that into consideration. Do some recon ahead of time to ensure there is a place that you can store your cold food and you will like need a crockpot if you are doing a hot meal. Another important one is I feel it is good to talk about dietary restrictions, especially allergens. I know people who cannot eat gluten and despite knowing the people for over a decade, no one bothers to try to cater to such allergens. Another big one might be someone who doesn’t eat meat, it is not hard to help cater to such restrictions to ensure everyone can enjoy a proper meal. I cook a meal every week that is gluten free and no meat for people so I can assure you, it is not that difficult.

So you are taking part in a potluck meal and want to whip something up but you have no idea what you an do, I am here with some good recommendations. I am including some recipes for the foods, some I have tried and some I have not, these are meant to give you a starting point.

Barbecue Meatballs
I have done these for a number of events because they are easy to make ahead of time and then just store in a crockpot. They also make create leftovers and can be eaten at any meal, I have even done them for a brunch. Basically you take your favorite meatballs and then get them into your favorite barbecue sauce, easy! My tips include using saltine crackers instead of breadcrumbs in your meatballs, and then I use Sweet Ray’s barbecue sauce but I like to spice it up with some cayenne pepper. I very much appreciate the sweet and spicy combination.

Sweet Potato Chili
Have not done this but it sounds great. Sweet potatoes of any form are a staple at Thanksgiving and by turning them into a chili we have a fun and tasty vegetarian option. Don’t forget to grab some toppings to go along with it!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
My preferred method of sweet potatoes is mashed. Here is a nice starting recipe, but I will be honest that I throw mine all together. Additionally, I make mine extra sweeet with brown sugar, cinnamon, and topped with marshmallows. Needless to say it’s my husband’s favorite side at the holiday.

Charcuterie Board
Sometimes rather than cooking you an just organize! We all know plenty of people who load up on the pre-dinner snacks so while not get out a board of cheeses, meats, crackers, and vegetables for those snackers.

Pumpkin Pie
You can never go wrong with pie and pumpkin pie is one of the easiest to whip up and can be made a couple days in advance. Here is a standard recipe but almost any can of pumpkin puree will have a recipe as well so no worries. Tip: it is no big deal if you use a store-bought crust. Pie crust is notoriously tricky (no matter what Martha Stewart says) so if you use a crust from the store, you are fine. I recently found gluten-free version that I will be using and because of it, I feel more keen on making my pies extra pretty since the crust is already done.

Stuffing/Dressing
Along with mashed potatoes and gravy, the dressing is my favorite part of a turkey dinner. The difference between stuffing and dressing is stuffing has been inside the bird and dressing is made on its own in a dish. Dressing is the way to go, allows the bird to fully cook and it develops a slight crisp. Use your favorite recipe (this link is close to mine) but the key is that you want to let your bread to sit out a couple days so it gets very dry to soak up the flavors. And it has to be warm so I will say if you cannot use a crockpot or something to get it hot for serving, you can skip it. And I will go to the mat on this one, boxed items like Stouffer’s stuffing are terrible and you should stay away from them. Same goes for instant potatoes, they are not worth it so stay away!

And this, my friends and colleagues, are my hot tips for Thanksgiving in the office this year! I will say that I love being able to talk about food, cooking, and I would say I love talking about planning an event but it is more deciding what it will be. I never feel more seen than watching Angela having to deal with the people assigned to help her in the Party Planning Committee.

Have more tips, please share with us and our readers! Have questions or maybe need some Party Planning or cooking advice, let me know! Email me, message me on Facebook or Instagram or simply comment away and I will be all too happy to help you however I can!

I wish you all good luck this Thanksgiving and as always, I’ll see you around the Breakroom.

  1. Morello, P. (2020, January 14). What to donate to a food bank and what to avoid. Feeding America. Retrieved November 20, 2025, from https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-blog/what-donate-food-bank-and-what-avoid ↩︎

Good morning everyone, and welcome back to the Breakroom. This week I want to talk about a topic that I have touched upon in the past but have been wanting to devote a piece to for awhile: quiet quitting. When this phrase first came to light, I thought I was going to miss my opportunity in being able to talk about it while it was still fresh. But we are around 3 years in and still this topic continues to come up so let us view if the world still continues to see this as an issue?

What is quiet quitting?

For those unfamiliar with the phrase, you might be thinking it means someone basically just silently quits their job. In reality, quiet quitting is defined as doing the minimum job requirements for your job. Some examples might be not working overtime shifts, only answering emails during work hours, not seeking extra tasks or projects not assigned to them, not attending meetings not mandatory, and not coming in early or staying late1. This phrasing became famous in 2022 when Gen Z employees began posting videos and content on TikTok talking about how they are doing the minimum required of them.

So this is not to say the work is not being completed, simply that employees are doing their assigned tasks in line with their job. You might be wondering where the concern arises from this. The primary belief is that this shows an employee is discontent with their job or company, no longer inspired or motivated to be overachievers at work. The belief is also that when people begin to quiet quit, they will inevitably fully quit or become so lax that they are fired. An article from Gallup chose to argue that quiet quitting is just the beginning because eventually employees begin doing less than their minimum work because every job requires a certain degree of extra work such as collaborating with colleagues or meeting customer needs2.

While many of us thought this might be a silly internet slang that would disappear, it seems to have some pretty strong staying power as it makes the knees of senior leaders quiver.

One of the key reasons leaders and organizations see this as an issue is they feel employees should be ready to prove themselves at work and continue to go above and beyond. As this practice goes on, they can see certain employees not engaging with their colleagues as often or being absent from unnecessary meetings or information events. There is then the concern that this could lead to poor attendance or quitting last minute, thereby causing strain on the remaining staff. Even if they do not quit, management has reservations about continuing to employ and pay someone not doing more than what is expected of them3.

Why do people quiet quit?

Unlike many of the articles I have reviewed, Paychex did go into detail on some of the primary reasons that people choose to become quiet quitters. Their list consists of:

-Lack of recognition
-Frustrations over compensation
-Poor work-life balance
-Lack of growth opportunities
-Toxic work culture

As you can see, many of these issues fall on the employee not having confidence in the future of their career with this company. There is that expression that no one notices when you do your job well but they notice the moment you make a mistake. Perhaps nothing has become more important to quiet quitters than work-life balance. Rather than wanting to work 50 to 60 hours a week, many employees would rather devote that time to family or personal hobbies.

Where Paychex starts to deviate from their informative prowess is their suggestions on how to address possible quiet quitters. Some of their recommendation include making it easier to establish a work-life balance and pay them a fair compensation. The former is what the employee is already doing, and the latter is something your company should already be doing.4

Opinion: Is quiet quitting an issue?

Now I have read a few articles in preparation for this, and I have seen dozens of others over the years and I believe I have come to a conclusion. This is nothing more than the McCarthys of the business world panicking over the fact that employees do not want to break themselves at work when they are seeing no true benefit. As the title of this blog post suggests, quiet quitting is no more a threat to the American way of life is than Communism is.

Every article confirms that quiet quitting is doing the minimum required of your job. That is not being bad at your job, that is literally doing your job. Some of the articles claim that quiet quitters have increased absenteeism, are making more mistakes, and simply are not doing their job to a proper quality. That is not considered quiet quitting, that is simply not doing their job and these two should not be equated to each other.

The purpose behind quiet quitting is still establish clear boundaries between work and life, something that we find baffling in the United States but is the norm everywhere else. The moment I clock out for the day, that is it. I am no longer being paid and work is not even on my radar. I will not do work tasks in the evening, weekend, or on vacation because I am no longer working. It is very easy for corporate executive who makes six or seven figures to criticize those barely making more than minimum wage for wanting to focus on their personal life rather than work. Some people enjoy centering their lives around work, but many people do not and that is okay. We should be encouraged to use our paid time away, spend time with family and friends, or just plain staying in and playing video games.

What about not wanting to go to a happy hour with coworkers after work or get together for a morning huddle to gab about things going on? For many of us, our coworkers truly are coworkers and are not people we would normally socialize with outside of work. So rather than having to spend 10 minutes listening to Susan show pictures of her grandchild, you are allowed to just skip it. And to those leaders out there, this does not mean they are an uninvested employee or someone who is not a team player. They simply want to be colleagues and if you try to say “but I think of us as a family” then that is a red flag and you need to evaluate if you are actually the problem.

So I will not accept anyone trying to explain that quiet quitting is a problem, because it is not. Not every employee should be expected to prioritize work over their personal lives because for many, work is simply a means of affording their hobbies and passions. But I will say, I know plenty of people who might change their tune if they were suddenly being paid that same wage that senior leaders see, so perhaps Paychex does have a point in offering people more money.

If I am being fully honest with everyone, part of me is convinced that promoting the “epidemic” of quiet quitting is simply gaslighting on major scale. We have leaders, executives, and business experts all overpaid and have likely not worked a real job in decades telling us that doing standard requirements of jobs are not good enough. That you are not a good employee unless you work overtime, come in early and stay late, work off the clock, and prioritize work over everything else in your life. You read these articles from experts and I truly felt gaslit into believing I was living in a parallel world and I was the crazy one.

Quiet quitting is not a threat to the American workplace and frankly I am going further to say it is not even real. It is quiet literally just doing one’s job.

  1. Klotz, A. C., & Bolino, M. C. (2022, September 15). When Quiet Quitting Is Worse Than the Real Thing. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved November 13, 2025, from https://hbr.org/2022/09/when-quiet-quitting-is-worse-than-the-real-thing ↩︎
  2. Harter, J. (2022, September 6). Is Quiet Quitting Real? Gallup. Retrieved November 13, 2025, from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/398306/quiet-quitting-real.aspx ↩︎
  3. Masterson, V. (2022, September 2). What is quiet quitting and why is it happening. World Economic Forum. Retrieved November 13, 2025, from https://www.weforum.org/stories/2022/09/quiet-quitting-explained/#:~:text=Quiet%20quitting%20is%20the%20art,Xer%2C%20reports%20the%20LA%20Times. ↩︎
  4. Whitney, H. (2024, May 14). Quiet Quitting: Meaning, Signs, and How To Prevent It. Paychex. Retrieved November 13, 2025, from https://www.paychex.com/articles/human-resources/quiet-quitting ↩︎

Quiet Quitting: The Corporate Red Scare

Posted in Coffee Break, Finer Things Club, The Office

Souvenirs of Perspective

Good morning everyone, and welcome back to the breakroom! I do apologize about not getting a post out last week, we spent the last two weeks in France and optimistic me thought I’d find the time to put together a post last week. I ended up finding myself very busy and wasn’t able to get anything together, but did want to put together a special post for my return. Rather than a Breakdown of an office episode, I instead wanted to talk about some of things I’ve brought back with me from my trip.

This is not specifically about physical objects, but rather focusing on the many ideas I had while there on how I want to do things differently when I return. I know we all have those moments when we are on an amazing trip and think about what we want to do when we return. This could be inspiration to take up a hobby, doing afternoon tea every day, maybe an idea on a new tattoo. Too often we lose momentum and let those ideas be cast away as youthful optimisms. Well, I would like to not let that be the case and to help with that I want to talk about some of the specific inspirations I want to cement in my life.

Shelves filled with jars of 'Baba' desserts, labeled with prices and flavors, showcasing various sizes and types.

Food Inspirations
One of my favorite things about going to France is experiencing the food; they truly do have some of the best foods in the world. As someone who loves to cook, I really wanted to bring some culinary inspiration back with me so I could recreate some of it. One of my favorites was going into a sweets shop and getting to try some dangerously boozy rum babas in adorable jars. Rather than trying to figure out how to bring them over to the states, I really want to try to recreate them as a fun Christmas gift. My other big one, which will be trickier, is mastering the art of the French baguette. In theory it is simple but definitely requires proper French flour as the gluten content is much different than here and the states and those with gluten intolerance can actually eat it. Unfortunately, with the current tariffs in place this will likely be tricky. But certainly the culinary highlight was being able to take part in a 5-6 course meal at a 5 star restaurant in southern France. From the drinks to the meal to the dessert, it was potentially one of the greatest meals of my life.

A table set with a cup of coffee and a croissant on a plate, showcasing a cozy café ambiance.

Simple Moments
Rather than do major touristy things in Paris, we mainly just walked around and visited the zoos and aquarium again. Of course, the first thing we did was grab some coffee and a fresh croissant. I think we often put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do big activities when some of the most memorable can be sipping on coffee, enjoying a pastry, and taking in the atmosphere. That being said, I know my husband would say I need to learn to be more “lax” and “go with the flow.” I did struggle in France because I prefer to always have a plan or itinerary and I can sort of fall apart trying to plan on the fly with no clear direction.

A dramatic painting depicting a fiery landscape with a looming historical building in the background, framed in an ornate golden frame.

Artistic Inspiration
I always find myself inspired when I see unique pieces of art (this photo is actually from a previous trip but I found myself looking at my old photos). I feel the emotions and thoughts that went into the art and I feel compelled to try to do the same. While I am not skilled in painting or photography, I do considered myself versed in writing. And I will admit that I have been wanting to actually write more than my blog articles. I have thought about a collection of short stories, trying my hand at playwriting, and I’ve even had a couple book ideas. Besides losing the motivation you get while abroad, the moment you try to make something real you have to admit you care about the project. And that is when you face the fact that you can fail and you have to ask yourself if you are okay with that. Of course, there has certainly been a part of me that wishes I had that special touch and could learn to paint, do photography, draw (one of my book ideas could be a cool graphic novel). But the realist in me knows that not everyone can be good at everything so we learn where our unique skills lie.

A picturesque vineyard with rows of grapevines under a bright blue sky and fluffy white clouds.

Professional Aspirations
More than anything, I did get inspired about being more serious about that next step in my career. I have been too passive the last four years and evidently I need to be much more aggressive and willing to step out of my comfort zone to get the job and salary that I have been working towards and deserve. I need be more thoughtful with where I am applying for, and if I can actually line up an interview I ought to have the confidence to go in and stop playing by the rules. It is easy to try to answer their questions in the way you believe they want to be heard but perhaps we need to have a bit more of our personality come out. It is easy to find a “yes man” but it is individuals who are hard to come by these days. It is interesting the sorts of things that inspire you, but it was seeing so many polished professionals in Paris that made me realize that I do miss that. As much as I love being at home with my puppies, part of me does miss getting to get dressed up and take some pride and confidence in going to work.

I know it is very easy to say you will do something, but it completely different to actually put that into practice. One of my common themes here is to encourage and hype my reader(s) because I firmly believe we need this encouragement. Of course, people like me are always so encouraging because we are also partially trying to motivate ourselves. As Jan Levinson once told Pam, there are always a thousand reasons not to do something. And as Jim later told Pam in that same episode, you have to take a chance on something sometime.

So this is me saying I’m choosing to not let the thousand things keep me from trying to accomplish something meaningful and I am going to design the next steps in my goals. I’m currently in the process of getting a large amount of job applications out to various locations, this being my big project over the weekend. My next goal is continue with this blog and podcast to make that into something meaningful. And I am going to evaluate what the next steps in my writing will be whether I take up writing articles/essays, stories, plays, or experimenting with it all.

For further inspiration, what sort of goals have you received from trips? I think we should make it more commonplace that we come back from trips not just relaxed, but changed for the better. To paraphrase Gandalf the Grey, if you get the opportunity to travel abroad you should expect to not return the same as you were. This should be encouraged because if you return unchanged, did you really learn anything about yourself or the world?

I wish you all an amazing weekend, and I hope you will share some of your own stories from traveling. Until next week, I’ll see you around the Breakroom.

Posted in The Office

The Office: Season 5, Episode 28 “Company Picnic”

Good morning everyone and welcome back to the Breakroom! I hope you have all had a great week that has led to finally to this Friday. Actually work has been pretty good this week, it was busy but not in the sense that I was dreading having to go into work. Some long days, I actually chose to do a flex day this week where I worked four 10-hour days to take a day off. A friend of ours was up so we decided to do a fun autumn day in town. My famous French beef stew for dinner, then brunch at a local restaurant the next morning, followed by a hiking at Pattison State Park over in Wisconsin for a few hours, and wrapping up the time with some steak off the barbecue and garden-fresh vegetables. For most people this would all sound pretty standard but it made for a great day of not worrying about work or the various stresses in our lives and focus on the positive with people important to me. So this is my recommendation for the next week, take some time to just spend time with people who recharge and inspire you. Too often we find ourselves giving up large amounts of our energy and focus that leaves us drained, the people who take far more than they give. Find those people who you can spend the day talking about anything and everything and focusing on just mutually relaxing. And let one another know how special you think they are and reassure them that they are on the right path. I think we often look for major examples of assurance in our lives, and really it is the small acts of support which is really what we want and need. And of course the key is that you are mutually supporting one another, simply by letting them know what you think of them and spending time with them. And I will mention that a nice nature hike, enjoying the changing leaves, was a pretty great activity.

With that weekly affirmation put out into the universe, let us discuss what has happened at Dunder Mifflin.

So earlier this week, we did have what I believe is one of the greatest pranks this office has ever seen. It was conceived after Michael chose to eat an entire, family-sized chicken pot pie for lunch and then fell promptly asleep at his desk. Jim explained how we could use this opportunity to trick Michael into thinking it was actually 5pm and time to leave for the day (it was actually only 1pm). Erin was carefully to field calls away from Michael, Jim and Pam were updating the times on the clockings and his watch, and Dwight ran out to update the time in his care. We then turned the lights on and began laughing loudly to prompt him awake. This worked so he came out laughing to see what was the commotion, and noticed that it was supposedly the end of the work day and was quick to leave with us. Was this slightly unethical? Maybe, but considering Michael often wastes our time with his antics it was nice for us to do the same. But I do wonder at what point he will notice he is off by four hours.

The real event this week was the Dunder Mifflin Company Picnic, an annual event but on by the company for employees to celebrate. The concept of a company picnic tends to more exist for larger companies, I actually remember going to them as a kid for my dad’s company he worked for. One particular one had tents with music, games, drinks (for the adults), food, and then even amusement rides and other things for the kids. Smaller companies usually do not have these because they’ll likely do many events throughout the year while the company picnic is a pretty large, one-off event. There are going to be plenty of guides online on how to throw one, I am including one courtesy of Indeed to help you walk through what you wish to do. It is great to have numerous events and activities so everyone can find something that they will enjoy. Food and drink is certainly a requirement, that is what makes it a picnic. But a key piece should be allowing people to bring their friends or family. Plenty of people think of their coworkers purely as work associates, so being able to have someone they’re close to makes it a lot more fun.1Another big recommendation I have is that these picnics are meant to celebrate employee’s hard work, and give something back to them. Which is why I am adamant it is important to splurge a bit (obviously within your budget) and make sure they can walk away with food, drinks, and fun. Let us be honest, if you are running one of these large companies you are going to be seeing the reward from record profits more than any of those employees will. So don’t be cheap when it comes to throwing these events for employees who were the source of your rewards.

The Dunder Mifflin picnic had a lot of those same aspects, with key differences between an annual sports tournament and then a performance. For the tournament, each year they have a sport event in which the employees from each branch compete for the trophy. Of course, this also includes corporate and they end to win and Charles Miner is not planning on winning gracefully. Last year was softball which we were doing okay with, until Jim freaked over finding a “dangerous” spider in his glove. I would be freaked out too but not so much that it would throw me off my game. I tend to be pretty competitive with these sorts of things, and that is a danger when it comes to the picnic if doing games like these. You still have to work with them so you want to keep the smack talk limited.

This year’s event was volleyball, which Dwight and Jim became very invested in. Between their tenacity, and Pam revealing she is pretty skilled volleyball player, we were pretty well set to sweep the game. Besides overly competitive people, the other big player you might see is like Phyllis. She was super excited and eager to play, but was very content after the first game and she realized she really was not all that interested in playing more. So she faked an injury so she could be swapped out. We made it all the way to the final game with corporate, only for Pam to trip and hurt herself. She insisted she was fine but David Wallace and Charles asserted that as this was a company event, she should not play until she has seen a doctor. Being our best player, they knew exactly what they were trying to do. Dwight told them to run to the nearest hospital and he would stall them as long as he could. And he did just that, he spent time counting to kicking the volleyball away; it was a masterclass in stall tactics. But in spire of all of that, Jim actually called and told him to swap in the subs. Oddly, Dwight made it sound like he was almost happy about it.

The other big event was a presentation towards the middle of the day in which Michael and Holly had agreed to do a performance. They’d been off working on this all day, and truthfully I was worried about Michael. He’d been nervous about running into her because he still hasn’t given up his feelings. To him, they are truly soup snakes (soul mates). True as ever before, they were able to come up with a great idea and work so well together. They created a skit combining Who Wants To be a Millionaire with Slumdog Millionaire but the questions were thematic around Dunder Mifflin. It was a pretty big hit in many ways, Stanley in particular was laughing it up like it was the greatest thing ever. Everything changed when they decided to do a question about which branch would be closed next. I guess David revealed to Michael last week that Buffalo was going to be closing. This was absolutely on Michael and Holly for thinking this should possibly be a question. But I also question David telling Michael this, if it was not publicly known then he should not be saying a word. It was at this point that the entertainment ended and the mood was pretty dismal and some of us decided to get the heck out of there.

And that, everyone, was this week’s Breakdown! Very short and sweet and certainly what I have the bandwidth for today.

I hope to have a podcast update very soon. Feeling inspired and refreshed from this week we are continuing to work on these, all while preparing to take a two week holiday soon as we return to France. Very much a busy time of the year, which is why it is so nice to find relaxing moments when we can.

Have a great weekend and as always, I’ll see you around the Breakroom!

  1. (2024, November 4). Guide to Planning Successful Company Picnics. Indeed. Retrieved October 9, 2025, from https://www.indeed.com/hire/c/info/company-picnics ↩︎