Manager insisting I take lunch

I was just thinking this. The CEO maybe doesn’t like people stinking the office out. I hated that immensely myself and we provided a rest area to discourage it.

There is an awful lot of evidence to show that people are more effective and efficient when they have breaks. You may find you need to work less overtime...

This. Getting up and having a walk around- no need to socialise if one doesn't want to.
Eating at a desk never looks good, either. It also can be smelly, depending on what is being consumed.

Just eat at your desk. Millions of people in offices never leave their desk all day by choice.

There is a solution though.

Go out for a walk on your break.
Eat in your car
Eat in the canteen (which you can do, you just prefer not to).

Your employer has a duty of care towards you, it's very unhealthy to sit and not take any breaks. It's also a legal requirement.

Haven't read the full thread but surely the solution is to eat at your desk if that's what you prefer (me too) but don't work at the same time.

Read a book or a magazine, do a bit of your own life admin, whatever. Then take a short break away from the desk (a walk round the block?).

At least that way you're meeting the mandatory break requirements, but not having to mingle in the canteen.

It definitely depends on the company/industry. Everywhere I worked (finance) most people would eat at their desk while working.

You need a break. You would work better if you had a break. How would you feel if your children worked through their lunch at school.

She isn’t being asked to socialise. She’s been asked to take a break and not work through her lunch. She doesn’t have to socialise while she’s doing that.

It's most likely duty of care. Working through lunch and not taking meaningful breaks often contributes to poor mental health and burn out. And potentially they are being called out on you not being away from your desk.
If you don't want to sit in the canteen, why not take a walk listening to a podcast? Or sit and read a book/watch videos on your phone? It's important to take even one break during the day from work.

yabu
also check workplace handbook. at my office we are not allowed food at the desk.
but we have a kitchenette with a small seatin area.

You must take a break. But read a book at your desk. But you can't work I think longer than six hours. But eating at your desk while working is a bit yucky.

I'd go for a walk round the block

Has the OP answered whether she cuts her working day short by 30mins or whatever to account for working through her lunchtime? If yes then that's the issue, if not then whether or not you claim to be 'fine' with eating at your desk as you continue to work your boss is on shaky ground if it does end up getting to you. Must everyone go for lunch at the same time? If not can you not take your lunch slightly earlier or later but not too late as to appear as though you've gone for lunch as it's approaching 5pm. Having said all that I cannot lunch with colleagues - it would be the end of me. I cannot tolerate it, I need peace.

She's not telling you to go to the canteen, she's telling you to stop working through your lunch break. Go for a walk!

Of course there’s a solution, just sit at your desk and eat your lunch, but don’t work during your legally mandated lunch break. Lock your PC and have a browse on social media while you eat your meal like everyone else.

Do you not take lunch and then leave half hour early? If you do this might be why she doesn't like it? Either way you should be taking proper breaks you aren't being forever to go to the canteen you can go elsewhere if y out don't like it there and if you are so swamped that you work through your lunch plus evening and weekends then she needs to evaluate your role because either you aren't managing your workload or you have far too much to do!

Yeah but that's actually the opposite of the point I am making though.

@Hillarious states she was getting to know her colleagues but then telling her boss what they were saying about work. I'm quite happy to chat about my life outside work at lunch but if I was moaning about a work related issue, it is not up to my colleague to report that back to the boss and I'd feel that said colleague was snooping rather than getting to know me.

That to me is an even bigger problem.
If you can't complete your tasks in your contracted hours you either have too big a workload or you're not managing your time effectively.
In that context I would be ensuring that you take appropriate breaks as well .

Is the legal requirement for the employer to offer a lunch break rather than the individual taking one?

Do you finish earlier, due to not having a lunch break? Is that what she has issue with?

Seconding this. Taking a break is also known to improve work productivity as well.

That's in France. In the UK it's a legal requirement to have a lunch break but no stipulation about it being away from your desk.

@Pippa246 If you want privacy then don't mention things in your personal life at work.

And yes PAs/secretaries/middle managers will feed back to more senior managers that Jenny has got married this weekend, Bob had a birthday, Sam moved house, etc.

This. I’ve had this where I work. It’s not really fair if some are allowed to ‘work through’ lunch whilst others aren’t. I WFH mostly at the moment but would find it weird if my colleagues were working through lunch and leaving an hour before their scheduled time (I would know because we all sign off on Teams when we go).