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!!)

[yvanka]

Do the same thing to her, note her response and repeat it back to her when she does it to you in future.

[Burnthurst187]

Simply say that you're taking you're lunch right now and will come and find her after you've finished

If she continues, approach her when she's on her lunch

[NetflixWatcher]

YANBU. I have a collegue that will say 'sorry to disturb you but....' then just carry on when I have a mouthful of sandwich. It's so annoying isn't it. I'd never dream of doing it to her

[Ihatemyseleffordoingthis]

It will have to be a "Not right now Sally, I'm on my lunch break", on her approach, very brisk.

If she can't read the clues of when your lunch break is you will have to do a traffic light system.

Or can you tell her a time each day when you will be available for queries? or doesn't it work like that?

[Eckhart]

So she has to wait anyway, just because of the nature of the work? And there's no actual pressure on you to complete the things she brings you RIGHT NOW?

I'm trying to work out what the pressures are from both sides... it sounds like a social failing on her part, rather than that she's left things to the last minute and needs you to do your part of the job urgently.

Can you ask her 'When does this need to be done by?' each time? Then when she says 'Next Tuesday', you can say 'No urgency, then. Can you bring it to me when I'm not on my break please, Sally?'

It might take a while, but if you do 'broken record' technique she'll get it eventually.

[DreadingSeason2020sFinale]

@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.

Good on you. When I worked in various restaurants from teen to thirties, breaks were pretty much non existent in every place. If you had customers you couldn't just walk away for your legally mandated 20 minutes or a lunch break. You'd have full double shifts where the only thing you ate all day was grabbing a handful of chips from the fryer before they were plated up and asking a waitress to bring you your allowed cordial and soda water from the bar.

One boss wouldn't even let me use the bathroom after working straight from 8am on our busiest day of the year (Christmas). He caught me in the corridor, yelled at me, turned me around and sent me back down to the downstairs kitchen.

From that day on I took all my legal breaks. I would just walk off the property and would stand at the other side of the gate and simply quoted the law to him when he went mad at me. But other than fire me there was fuck all he could do and as he couldn't find anyone willing to work there for the pittance he paid (staff under 21 are cheapest on £3ph NMW but very few were experienced and capable like I was)

Twenty years later I'm still in touch with my old workmate. They still recount the days when the boss would be screaming in rage about me.

[JamminDoughnuts]

sit and read a novel!

[JamminDoughnuts]

Leave the office after you eat

[RandomMess]

I would block your lunch break out on your office calendar and email her

Sally my lunch breaks are on my calendar, I am Not to be disturbed with work things then as I need to decompress.

[Jroseforever]

Similar situation here a few years ago

I made light of it “I’m having my lunch and that requires my full attention! . I’ll come to you after for sure.”

And it worked

[Mellonsprite]

I think you need to be firmer if she persists, something like ‘Sally this is my break now, come back to me with we’re both free’ then a pointed stare.

[acaiacai]

@Ihatemyseleffordoingthis unfortunately not, as I could get called to a plant room at any time so I can never completely guarantee being at my desk.

[Marchitectmummy]

Do you have lunch at the same time everyday? If so say to her just FYI I take my lunch break st x to y everyday. If you need something for a meeting at 2 bring it at 11

Or whatever suits you.

[Notthetoothfairy]

If you can still use the canteen, you should.

[C8H10N4O2]

I'm normally very straight up but due some reason I feel like this girl will cause ructions...(my intuition is normally right too)

Which will say more about her.

Honestly stand your ground as you would with a child misbehaving. How would you treat a teenager who kept interupting your conversations with someone else?

[Eckhart]

Or you could say

'Why do you think I should work when I'm on my break, Sally?'

each time. Putting her on the spot might put her off.

[acaiacai]

So she has to wait anyway, just because of the nature of the work? And there's no actual pressure on you to complete the things she brings you RIGHT NOW?

Yes,we are in a chain and I am sometimes the next up from her (or at the same level and needed to proof read as such) there may be a back story or info that she needs to discuss...but it is not a "right now" issue no...

[RiftGibbon]

Dreading, I was fortunate enough that my department didn't have customer facing roles. Reading your post, you did the best thing in the situation.
How has the workplace changed so much that nugget is entitled to any break time?

[acaiacai]

Sally my lunch breaks are on my calendar, I am Not to be disturbed with work things then as I need to decompress.

My lunch break is not on the calendar though...I take it when I can...it could be at anytime from 12.30 to 2.00

[RiftGibbon]

^nobody, not nugget. Between the adblocker notice and autocorrect I have plenty of opportunity to have my typing amended!

[Nikori]

Do you always take your break at the same time? I think you should explain to her that it's bothering you that she keeps disturbing you during your lunch break and you're sure she understands how important downtime is for your mental health etc.

If she persists raise it to a manager.

[Eckhart]

but it is not a "right now" issue no

How d'you think she'd respond if you asked her why she needed you to deal with it during your break? She hasn't got a leg to stand on.

[acaiacai]

@Notthetoothfairy I can't as I have a desk, we have been instructed due to Covid to eat our desk if we have one. lots of staff in the plant rooms,labs and warehouse etc don't have desks so they need the canteen.

[Monsterpage]

Whatever you say to this girl just make sure you say the same to others as if your intuition is right and she would cause problems the only way she could do that is if she felt you were singling her out and responding differently to her.

I think a firm "I'm on my lunch so either leave it there and I will sort on my return or I will call you when I am free" is a simple mantra to adopt and repeat.

I have spoken to my staff about the importance of breaks due to wellbeing in the current climate. More now than ever it is important. If she continues to do it then you could have a word with her and say you're worried about her because she keeps interrupting you on your lunch even though you have mentioned it to her a few times and that has made you wonder if someone is doing something similar to her on her lunch. Frame it as a "I want to empower you to have an uninterrupted lunch" :)

[Monty27]

OP Make yourself a sign for your desk indicating to colleagues that you're unavailable to assist. Otherwise go chomp on your lunch elsewhere.