Manager insisting I take lunch

Very much this OP!
Stop working for free. You're work more than that.

Why would you do this? Unless it was your own business that you were trying to get off the ground, there is no possible reason for you to be working for free - unless you are on a six figure salary. I’m sure the company wouldn’t hesitate to make you redundant if they hit hard times.

If you are unable to complete your job within working hours, then perhaps you are in the wrong job. Sounds like you are living to work rather than working to live. No wonder your manager is concerned.

You’re the PA to the CEO - a very important job in any company. Tbh in these circumstances you should do as you’re told and just be grateful that your boss isn’t forcing to you to work through your break.

You should not be working way over your hours. You should not be working through your lunch. You should not be coming in at weekends.

Is the workload unmanageable for 1 person? If so, you need to stop doing so much and let her realise she needs to hire a second person. If the workload is manageable for 1 person and you are just disorganised then you need to look at your timing and scheduling.

You need to take your breaks. You need to go home at home time. You need to stop working extra hours for nothing.

Occasionally is fine. Always is not.

Is there a little room, or private seating area, near reception, where you can eat on your own but are away from your desk and not having to sit in the canteen? Then you can either go for a little walk after, or sit in your car and look at your phone etc?

Pleased to read of your response.

Unnecessary aggression there @AllThePotatoesAreSinging. Inevitably, some posters will, some won't. You make good points about workload pressures but my points about re the boss' perceptions, etc. still stand.

You saying 'I would prefer to work through to get home at a reasonable time';- is the problem

Your Manager is trying to kindly tell you, this job isn't flexi hours.

You need to work your contracted hours like everyone else does.

Maybe people are complaining about your self imposed flexi-time, whilst they are adhering to the rules as at the minute there is one rule for them and one for you

Nothing wrong with lunching in your office but NOT working.

My boss did this with me several times during my first year. Eventually she realised I would have a break when I needed to, even if it doesn't happen at 12.

(In actuality, I relish those quiet moments when everyone else buggers off!)

It's about duty of care. My ex line manager used to tell me to leave my desk because otherwise I wouldn't move all day. Can you eat at your desk but then have something to do for half an hour that's away from it?

I'm concerned you are working long hours as well.

Of course we do. What do you think HR is? We don’t drive buses, we work in full on office based roles. I’ve done PA roles too, while having to also do my ‘day’ job. I get workload pressures. It makes taking a break even more important.

OP isn’t even going home to get on with family life. It sounds like she’s going home and logging on again there.

Also yes, agree manager will have noticed all the additional hours and should be doing something to resolve workload issues. However, a couple of years ago I spent all weekend working on a difficult report that needed to be with a senior manager the following week. I’d been working late too, to get it done in time. The manager didn’t look at it for another month and my own manager made it quite clear not to do that again as it wasn’t such a priority that I should do it in my own time. What I’m saying is maybe OPs manager has noticed the excessive hours, but doesn’t agree there’s a need for the work to be done outside of OPs contracted hours. We like to think the work we do is of utmost importance and so prioritise it - but really, often, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not that urgent or important.

I think you should be able to do what you want, you are an adult and can make your own choices. If you work through and can leave earlier as a result then that's your self care time there isn't it?

A friend of mine lives in France and has to take a 2hr lunch break. He lives a long way from work and would rather have a shorter break and get home to his family earlier but it's not allowed.
I believe they passed a law in France making it illegal to eat at your desk - you have to take an actual break.
Good on them (though I'd rather not be forced to have 2hrs!).

@shearwater2 It's her boss that's insisting she takes a lunch break, which rather suggests that not taking one and leaving early isn't the preferred scenario.

YABU for 'clicky'. You mean cliquey?

Go for a walk outside, loo break , get a coffee, read a chapter of a book or do a crossword, then have your sandwich at your desk. I never used the same sort of canteens either due to cliques. Might also not be possible but in an ok job in the past I used to nip out and get a couple of bags of food from a local shop leave it in boot have sandwich in car, to get a different break once a week.

you do need to take breaks to protect your health. I sadly had an old employer who was the complete opposite and I ended up with a lifelong disability due to this that I’d not wish on anyone.

Her boss in in charge and her boss is saying she has to take lunch!

The solution is you go for a walk, sit in your car, just take a break from work, it doesn't have to be in the canteen.
We encourage taking breaks where we work for all sorts of reasons, and if one employee is allowed to work through lunch and go home early, it has to be offered to everyone, which can cause issues

Who put you in charge?

If her boss says she can leave early then she can.

You can't be forced to eat in the canteen. You can go anywhere you want on your lunch break as long as you're back in time. But you have to take your break. You can't work through it and then leave half an hour earlier than you should.

A statutory break means it's mandatory for the employer to give it (as a minimum). It does not mean it's illegal for the employee to choose not to take it.

If it is a big organisation is there somewhere else you could go for lunch - do they have a meeting space you could use or could they make a 'staff room'. There maybe others in the company who also don't want to go to the canteen - sounds like there maybe and this maybe is a solution. I hope you are taking regular breaks to walk around though as sat at a desk for hours isn't great (I know).

But did your colleagues know you were doing this? Did you tell them “Anything work related we talk about will be fed back to the boss”.

Is that not what team meetings are for, especially if the boss was well respected and a generally happy department?