Dear Reverend,
I recently started a job in a small office where everything is pretty casual. Most of my coworkers eat lunch at their desks while working on computers. The problem is that I hate hearing people chew, slurp or smack their lips when they eat. It drives me nuts, and I can’t focus on what I’m doing. How do I handle this without making it a big deal?
Miss O’Phonia (woman, 31)
Dear Miss O’Phonia,
I work with a guy who hates hearing people whistle, and I’m a dyed-in-the-wool whistler from way back. We’ve worked together so long that I don’t remember how it even came up, but it’s sort of an office joke now: Everyone knows not to whistle when he’s around. I can understand how dealing with such an annoyance when you’re the newbie might feel daunting.
The easiest way to combat the ambient mouth noises would be to block them out. Could you pop on some headphones or earbuds and listen to music when your coworkers start snacking? It’s easy to play that off as needing to concentrate, but it might not work if your job requires you to hear what’s going on around you.
If that’s the case, investigate earplugs made especially for noise sensitivity, like Loops. They’re designed to take the edge off background noises while still allowing you to hear.
Another tack: Start an office initiative for everyone to take actual lunch breaks. Many people seem to think that working through lunch is productive, but the opposite is true. Staying glued to a screen all day reduces cognitive capacity, increases stress, and leads to more fatigue and errors. Besides, keyboards have all sorts of germs on them that you’re just smearing around on your food.
Lead by example, and see what happens. No one is going to be offended by the idea of taking a much-needed break.
Good luck and God bless,
The Reverend
This article appears in February 11 • 2026.