Manager insisting I take lunch

It’s a legal requirement for your safety and well-being.
also eating at your desk is unprofessional.
no wants to smell your lunch or have dirty cutlery hanging around etc.
if you hate the canteen that much ask to take an early or late lunch when it’s less busy or go outside for a walk.
It sends the wrong message to other staff that there is some kind of expectation to work through lunch. No one is too busy to eat.

It’s important to take time away from your desk. Why not go for a walk? You’ll feel better for it in the afternoon.

I avoid the canteen too but I take the long route up to fill my water bottle, take a short walk outside, go out to the car etc. I agree with your boss you need to take a proper break, it’s also not a good look for her if you never leave the computer.

Go out for a walk and sit on a bench and eat your lunch then

She is worried about you. Worried for your health. You should be taking a break.

Read a book or sit in your car. You legally need a break

If your working shift is longer than 6 hours, then you are entitled to a 20 minute break, either paid or unpaid. This shouldn't be taken at the start or end of your shift.

That being said, there is no law to force you to take the break. However, this can leave your employer at risk of being taken to tribunal, if you decided you had not been allowed a break (believe ne, this change of heart happens more often than you think).

Your line manager is protecting themselves and the business and YOU! Working through lunch might mean you get finished at a reasonable time, but that means that either:

1. You have too much work expected of you, or
2. Poorly planned diary

I would suggest sitting with your line manager in yur next 1-1, not just making some off the cuff remark, and explaining how you feel. There may be alternatives you are not aware of, or you can come to a decision for you to eat at your desk, but let's it would be documented so your employer is protected.

As for an alternative, could you go for a walk? Headphones on, some podcast or music to get some steps in, if appropriate?

Can you not just eat lunch at your desk whilst working but then take a break to go out for a walk? Getting out of tge office for a while is good for you and after 6 hours is a legal requirement.

I think she is trying to look out for you. Also, she sets the company culture: if she is trying to establish a well-being culture where people take their lunch and socialise with colleagues, it probably doesn't look great if it looks like she is chaining her PA to the desk and not giving her a break.

People are generally more efficient and productive if they do step away for a bit, even if it's just for 20 minutes.

You’re hardly being targeted because your manager wants you to take a lunch break. It’s super unhealthy to sit at your desk all day long. Take 30 mins and go for a walk round the block then you can still eat at your desk and remain anti social to your hearts content.

I think she's just worried about you. If she says it again I'd just say to her that your workload is such that you feel you can't take your lunch break without adding half an hour on to the end of your day and you'd rather not do that. Then either she can work with you to reduce your workload or she can let you manage said workload in the way you want to.

Why are you planning to stay 4 years? Is it to get a permanent contract? Have you the option to interview in the meantime for other posts.

Believe me, I work in the health services, there are easier roles for more money! You can interview for higher grades or even request a transfer to a different dept within your grade. There are jobs where you don't have to work yourself into the ground. And you'll get exactly the same thanks for it.

It's not like your in a company that can reward you with pay rises or promotions. You are on a salary scale and any jobs will be awarded from a panel.

Don't be an eejit.

So sorry to see your post this is obviously a major issue and anxiety provoking for you. As others have already posted there is a legal requirement to have a break of at least 30 minutes if you work a certain number of hours every day. However why not book a 15 minute meeting in with your manager/CEO to tell exactly how you feel, as per your post, and see if there is a compromise to be had. You won't know if you don't ask, this is obviously very important for you, and your manager needs to know how you feel which is totally understandable. I have no doubt you are very good at and very conscientious in your role and if you were a member of my team I would want to know how you feel and what we could do to find a solution everyone is happy with, good luck with sorting this out.

Not snooping or the kind of thing that might come up in a team meeting per se, more "you know the new Government regulations and their subsequent impact you and your management team have spent the past month getting your head round and are now at peace with? Well a significant number of staff in the department know something is coming their way, possibly redundancies, and they're at the stage you were a month ago and are feeling on edge about it. They could do with some reassurance."

“My boss is ensuring I take my legally and contractually required break”. I’ve reworded your post for you.
you took the time to post this at a point that was presumably pre your lunch break (11:43), why not leave things like that as something to do at lunch that isn’t working.

I was always out the door at lunchtime, and didn't return for an hour. It's really not good to sit at your desk to eat your lunch, you need a break. If I couldn't have gone home for lunch I would have eaten in the canteen, and maybe gone for a walk, looked around the shops etc. When I only had a half hour break I sat in the canteen and chatted - but of course that is a foreign notion to many MNers. Heaven forbid they actually chat to a fellow worker! As pps have said, earlier generations fought for workers' rights, don't be so quick to toss those rights aside.

No tbf latest op posts don't sound like it's because she doesn't mind.

Op as others say you should point out why you feel you can't take breaks. Or just start taking them but if things don't get done and its raised as an issue then explain.

How long have you been there? Do you know why the last person left?

It doesn't sound like @Shanna8 is doing it for the love of the job. It sounds like she's doing it because she feels she has to.

I work in hospital admin. I really enjoy my job. I'm good at it, and I take pride in it. But I'm also realistic about what can be achieved in the hours I'm contracted. I sometimes stay back late, but that is to benefit me. To help me clear my desk a bit so that I'm more organised when I know things are tight or a particular deadline is approaching. But I don't routinely stay back because it is a bad habit to get in to and it is not necessary. As I mentioned I could work 12 hours a day 7 days a week and still never be on top of my work. If I was so inclined, I could convince myself that it was necessary for me to work that much. But that would simply be untrue.

No offence @Shanna8 but you work in Admin in a hospital. Your role isn't specialist and if you were suddenly absent for any reason tomorrow somebody else would take over your role and do it in the hours allocated and take their breaks and go home at home time.

Your manager has a duty of care to you. They've seen all this before and have dealt people who thought they were indispensable, and if they weren't available every hour that God sent the place would collapse without them. The health service will not collapse if you take your lunch and stop working extra hours. It ran before you and it will continue to run after you.

And this is exactly what I was getting at earlier.

This isn’t sustainable. Please raise your workload with your manager. It’s not enough to tell you to take breaks if your workload makes you feel you can’t.

Wasn't talking about my role tbf, I think mine is fairly easily replaced. It's fact that some roles aren't easily replaced (note I say easily, not that its impossible).

All said in the context of if someone was to hand in their notice for working extra hours they'd be easily replaced, which I said wouldn't happen if they were happy to do the extra hours (love of the job).

Everyone is easily replaced, and you are 100% kidding yourself if you think otherwise. We all like to think our contribution is incredibly important and essential, but it's just not true.

I've worked in an organisation where the CEO went off sick (and never came back) with zero notice due to a very serious diagnosis. This was a man who worked very long hours, never took all his annual leave, and was convinced the organisation would fall apart without him there to control things. The rest of the exec stepped in initially, and an interim was in post within a week or so.

"The graveyard is full of indispensable men" (and women)

If she went down sick tomorrow? broke her arm? had a stress induced stroke? Somebody else would be sitting in her desk by Monday. Or if she wasn't replaced (you wouldn't be in my job!) the rest of the staff would cover her work, and not work the hours she does!

I work in admin in a hospital @Shanna8 . Hospital business is 24/7. I could literally work 12 hours a day 7 days a week and never catch up. So I don't even try! I keep on top of what is a priority and I catch up on other stuff as and when I can.

If you work in admin in a hospital setting I can 100% some of your colleagues do the bare minimum they can get away with in their hours and leave on the dot of home time.

Don't be a fool. Take up a hobby in the evening and make yourself leave on time.

By the way, admin staff have gone to our managers at various times saying they are burning out and stressed etc. the first question asked is "Do you take your breaks?". When they say no (thinking they're being a hero) management reprimand them saying they need to start taking breaks in order to avoid stress and burn out. Management won't thank you for working beyond your hours. Clerical staff in the health service are not highly regarded! You get no extra thanks or recognition, and are probably paid significantly less than your longer-term colleagues who don't do as much.

It is. There's always someone who can step into a role.

Whether they do it as well or are as willing to be worked to death is a different thing. But there is always someone else.

Not easily replaced the case for everyone either

It really is.