to have told the new guy to please leave me alone as I'm on lunch?

[musicboxwoundbyakey]

So because the weather was so shitty today and most people are still off work (so had no-one to go out with at lunch) I decided to stay in and eat lunch at my desk and read my trashy magazine.

The new guy (who has been here 2 months now so not too new) came up to me and asked me a question about work, I helped him out and then went carried on eating my lunch. 5 minutes later he came back and asked me another question.

Irritated by that point, I did help him but also said look I'm on my lunch break and don't want to deal with work related stuff right now. (It was obvious I was on my lunch, I was eating and reading)

I feel bad but I wasn't the only colleague around and the job I do is customer facing so can have people ranting at you all day so you need a break just to de-stress.

Aibu?

Bob, you're quite right and she does take some of her lunch break, usually in the afternoon by herself, but at Christmas it would have been nice for her to have eaten lunch with colleagues.

OP, you don't sound unprofessional at all, but I do think lunch at your desk is a bit gross. I share an office space and I just can't bear the smells that waft over during lunchtime.

yanbu, but it might be a good idea to explain to new colleague that it is office protocol not to disturb someone when they are clearly having lunch,

imo all the posters who are saying "your fault for eating at your desk" abu.

In my office in this weather there is no other option. We have a tiny staff kitchen with one table and 3 chairs - shared by over 80 staff. There is no other communal space to eat or sit. I bring a packed lunch and my dek is the only place to at it. All my colleages check before asking a question in lunch time, and if one of our colleague s is eating, reading the paper etc then we answer the phone for them so they can get a break.

I like to go for a walk at lunchtime, but need to sit down to eat my lunch (usually something like a bowl of pasta salad, try eating that whilst walking the streets!!). And in this weather I don't do the walk...

Posters who are sniffy about people eating at their desks either work for private companies who have invested in staff rest areas, or are paid enough to eat at a cafe every day. Sadly I work for the local authority and am paid peanuts, so neither option is available to me

Eh? Eating with colleagues wasn't an option?? She just wanted an uninterrupted break, which she is entitled to and probably isn't paid for.

The fact that it's Christmas is neither here nor there!

Yeah course you are love, course you are..... you sound delightful.

You need some very visible headphones even if their not plugged in

YANBU and you don't seem rude to me.

I almost always eat lunch at my desk and generally do answer if someone has a quick question that I don't need to think about, but if it was complex or there were others that could help him whatever I'd have no hesitation telling someone to ask elsewhere.

Not rude.

Unfriendly and a bit mean perhaps.

MrsAMerrick, I've always worked for charities, where we were paid even less than local authority colleagues - that has nothing to do with whether a lunch-room was provided! Which is a pertinent issue in this instance.

It's all about the culture of the particular office isn't it, so what is normal and ought to recognised as such by others.

I think the fact that there were others he could have asked means that ywnbu.

I assume he knows that the other staff could have helped ?

Why, why, why would you approach the person eating lunch when there are others to ask??

YANBU.

Lunch time is your time, not company time. Therefore he was BU to ask you to work in your own time. Unless he offered you a consultancy fee/overtime?

Re: eating at your desk is 'asking to be interrupted', the job I am currently on maternity leave from had no staff room/break room/separate area for lunch or breaks. The choices were: eat at desk or pay for lunch out. If you bring a packed lunch, you had no choice but to eat at your desk.
I was constantly interrupted whilst eating, mostly by 'customers' (who are apparently blind and cannot see that sandwich in gob=fuck off and ask someone else), but by colleagues as well. This is a (small) part of why I won't be returning. I wasn't paid for my 'lunch break' so why should I work for free?
Those saying it's fine are mad.

Where I work we have a staff canteen and a "break out" area, so eating at your desk means that you can be approached during your break. If you don't want anyone to talk to you at lunchtime you leave your desk.