To tell colleague to at work to leave me alone I when I am clearly having a break?!

[acaiacai]

I work for a global company...I cannot WFH but I sit at a desk for 70-80% of my job. We take our lunch breaks at our desk now. We used to go to the canteen but due to social distancing rules etc if you have a desk you eat there so that those who don't have desks can use the canteen.

Colleague keeps coming up to me while I am on lunch break to talk work stuff, looking for me to sign paperwork etc...it is clear as I am eating, chatting with colleague next to me (we tend to take lunch at the same time do we can have no work related chat etc)

It's starting to bug me..she has only started on our team recently but came from another dept.

I want to be nice about this but surely she should have the common sense to leave a person alone on lunch break! I mean If there was no Coronavirus then I would be in the canteen and she would come looking for me there!! (Well at least I bloody hope she wouldn't!!)

[acaiacai]

@BigSandyBalls2015 WTAF!!

[BigPlanes]

If she can’t see your screen can you just print a sign and hang it where she can see?

You need a break to work better.

But also... big girl pants and explain to her. If she isn’t getting social cues she either doesn’t care or isn’t very good at understanding others.

[OhioOhioOhio]

What about, 'Sally, this feels quite awkward but I'm struggling with these lunch meetings....'

[Tryingourbest23]

[quote acaiacai]@TikTakTikTak I have tried that one she just keeps rambling on...its so grating and frustrating.

I have literally said, "sally (not real name) come back in 20 mins and we'll go through it then" then she said..."oh I'm going to be at a meeting" and then "I'm getting lunch" 🤯

And fwiw she is not senior to me...[/quote]


Ah, so she knows it's your lunch break and still continues. How rude ! She has poor boundaries

Easy answers

You: sally just leave it there I'm on my lunch real will look at it when I return 1.30pm...
Sally: But I'll be in a meeting or on my lunch then so just want to discuss (ignoring you starts discussion)

Response 1
You: And your point is Sally? I have just said I am not available to discuss now ... I will look at it when I am

Response option 2
You: No that's great Sally - we've agreed then that at 1.30pm I can interrupt your meeting or lunch break to discuss it, like you're interrupting mine ....(long pause)........ or we can discuss this when we are both available and not being interrupted

If she doesn't get the message I'd probably email asking her to send invite meeting requests for any work discussions ' to prevent further disruption ' to your working day

[36weekswithno2]

Could you try giving her clear instructions

"sally, if you need something signed and I'm not at my desk then please send me an email and leave the paperwork in my intray"
"I won't be signing anything or discussing work while on my lunch break"

[Amammi]

Can you send her a meeting request for the time that does suit you to sign and approve things and make it clear you won’t be available any other time that this?

[acaiacai]

@Amammi the things that she needs would require a meeting as such. It would be overkill.

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

Get a big placard and hang it over the back of your screen that says "GONE TO LUNCH. COME BACK IN 20 MINUTES" and then stolidly ignore her. Just point silently at the placard.

[ivykaty44]

broken record, I have my lunch between x and y time so if you come back to me at y time Ill see it gets sorted..eventually shell stop wasting her time coming to you until after y time

[acaiacai]

@36weekswithno2


"sally, if you need something signed and I'm not at my desk then please send me an email and leave the paperwork in my intray"
"I won't be signing anything or discussing work while on my lunch break"

This a site wide practice...there are several areas that require garbing, and certain access requirements so for a lot of ppl an email and placement of paperwork on a step over area is the norm...she should really know this as she has worked here for 4 years. 🤯

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

Sally is clearly demonstrating that she believes her time is more important than yours.

You have to make it clearer to her that it isn't.

[Walkaround]

I would say to her, “if you have a problem that you think has to be dealt with in a lunch break, please make sure you do it in your lunch break and not mine.”

[ramblingsonthego]

When I was in the office I used to go and sit in my car for lunch times. People used to say it was anti social but I wanted some time just for me.

[OnTheBenchOfDoom]

Put it in writing in an email.

Comment that she seems to interrupt you whilst you are clearly eating your lunch on your actual lunch break. Remind her she can leave stuff etc. Set it out now. That way if this continues then you have a paper trail of you telling her she keeps doing this, so not a one off, and you have asked her not to do it.

[Eckhart]

Do you normally end up doing the thing she's asking you to do, even though it's on your break?

What would happen if you just took the paperwork from her hands, put it on your desk where she couldn't reach it, and firmly said 'I'll take a look at that after lunch.'

[Eckhart]

?

[RiftGibbon]

In my last job (long before Corona reared its ugly head) it was usual to work through lunch.
I was unwell and needed a break in order to work well so went out at lunchtime (my contract said I was allowed an hour) for 20 minutes. When I got back, my boss had a go at me for being away from my desk.
I took an hour for lunch away from the office every day after that.

[Lalalatte]

Maybe her job involves constantly having to nag and chase people for things ?
Is there any chance you've left things a few days before and she knows that doing so holds up the project and she's got her boss asking why everything takes so long?

[PanamaPattie]

“Fuck off Sally, I’m eating my lunch”. Fixed it for you. You’re welcome.

[AwaAnBileYerHeid]

Perhaps put it in an email to her?

[acaiacai]

@Eckhart no the things she requires me to do require a bit of investigation on part sometimes and can be ongoing....@Lalalatte no I am always on target and I don't hold things up.

[Walkaround]

@Lalalatte - she obviously thinks she has that sort of job! It’s pretty insulting to her work colleagues that she thinks that if she doesn’t nag them in their lunch break, that they will lose the paperwork she has left them and sent them an e-mail about, though, especially if she is apparently the only person in the entire company who finds this. I suspect it’s more a case of her doing what is convenient to her and her working day, and being the sort of person who prefers to deal with people face to face, regardless of necessity.

[Onadifferentuniverse]

Just interrupt her with a ‘I’m on my lunch break right now, I’ll come and find you when I’m finished’

[2pinkginsplease]

@PanamaPattie. 😂😂😂😂

[Onadifferentuniverse]

Or you could just say- I’d love to chat but I’m on my lunch break.

And if that doesn’t work- look, I’m on my lunch break, I don’t want to be rude but you don’t seem to be acknowledging my polite hints.