Do you suffer from "lunch-ism" at work?

[justdivein]

Like many people I'm working from home at the moment. On paper we can take lunch whenever we like, and for me that is usually at 12, because that's when I get hungry, and when my DH (who is working in another room) also gets hungry. Our daily lunch date is one of the perks of working from home.

However ... in a bid to improve the work-life balance of people who are too disorganised to mark their preferred lunch time in their online calendar , so end up with back-to-back meetings, our management now suggests that everyone should generally avoid booking meetings between 1-2pm. So, all of a sudden:

1. the preferred lunchtime of (presumably approximately) 50% of staff is considered less sacrosanct than that of the other 50% of staff,
2. my tentatively reserved 12-1 slot is being regularly and un-apologetically breached in order to leave the 1-2 slot free,
3. if I want to protect my preferred lunch slot, whilst also respecting the 1-2pm curfew, the combined effect is a significant reduction in the number of meeting slots available to book.

Rant over ... it's time to draw a line in the sand ... I'm off to convert my tentative lunch booking into a fully blocked out slot.

I'd find 12 way too early for lunch as by the time we're home from work and have cooked tea it's about 7pm.

If I have lunch at 1.30 then meals are better spread out.

My lunch 30 minutes is currently being taken at 2.45pm when I do the school dash to pick up DD2 because there aren't any other childcare options currently available.

I think it's great that your company are recognising and encouraging a lunchbreak. My senior team always express surprise when you ask why a meeting has been scheduled from 11am to 3pm with no breaks!

No way is 1-2 standard

It's noon till 1

Id say "because im working from home i have to work around the family so my lunch is 12 to 1

I'm also a 12 o clock luncher, while others are 1 o clock.
We just book our meetings outside of 12-2.

I prefer 12-1 (which luckily for me is when my workplace has prohibited meeting bookings) but as pp have stated they cant please everyone and for the sake of an undisturbed lunch I would just have a light snack at 11 and move my lunch break out to 1pm. It's a bit of a mountain out a molehill

I'm with you OP. I do actually block out 12-1 in my diary and don't accept meetings at that time. Why should I give up my lunch hour for someone else to enjoy theirs?! Tbf any meetings between 12 and 2 should be banned. There's plenty of time to talk between 9-12 and 2-5/6pm!

To the poster who said 1pm was an adult's lunchtime - did it occur to you that some people have an earlier start to the day, an earlier breakfast, an earlier mid morning snack, and would therefore be ready for lunch at 12pm?!?!

Where I used to work it was frowned upon to spend much more than 20 minutes away from your desk at lunchtime. There had to be phone cover at all times, we weren't allowed voicemail.

It seems to me some small progress to have a slot at all.

Many people seem incapable of using the online tools that tell you when someone is available, and just book regardless. Even though with wfh I expect that people are starting and finishing work earlier so noon would be a better start time.

I'd accept it even though not ideal. Decline any meeting between 1 and 2 to make the point that a break is important.

I think you may be overthinking this OP.

Stop for a snack at 11. That should see you through to 1.

I think you are being ridiculously unreasonable.
Having a standard lunch time across the board makes perfect sense, and most people would naturally choose 1-2 if left to their own devices.
Just eat more at breakfast if you can't last until then

I'm a nurse and often eat my lunch before 11am No way could I wait until 1! the earlier the better for my break, I function better once I've had my lunch and I can last for hours without eating again.

Who still takes a whole hour for lunch?

I’m ready for lunch by 11, do 1 would be far too late. I’m surprised they are suggesting 1-2. Most people I work with eat earlier. N

In my organisation most people take lunch at 1pm. This is probably the preference of more than 50 percent of people at your organisation too. It could be argued that you and your dh's cosy lunch breaks don't trump others. Why can't you and your dh have a snack then still eat lunch together at 1pm

Surely 12:30 - 1:30 would have been the most logical 'set hour'?

@Jaxhog

Who still takes a whole hour for lunch?

Oh FFS, didn't the 'lunch is for wimps' culture go out in the 80s?!

I'm on team OP. Of course it's not a massive deal but it would royally fuck me off to have to wait until 1 for my lunch. My belly requires luncheon at 12 and there are consequences if it does not materialise.

What is this sneery 'adult' stuff? We had it on a thread a few weeks ago, about evening meals. To fuck with it, eat when you're hungry, not when other people dictate.

Yabu, just push it back an hour, maybe have a morning snack or bigger breakfast. Really a universal lunch break makes sense.

@JustCallMeGriffin - when I did short 4hr shifts in retail, 11-3 was the shift of doom- no break, which would be fine on the other shifts but because you covered every bugger else's lunch and the busiest time of day, you were usually starving by the time you eventually got something to eat.

I don’t work in an office job anymore but when I did I also preferred an early lunch so I could keep on top of all my work in the afternoon. I can imagine it’s frustrating.