To snack during zoom meetings?

[Fiep]

Every day I have to log onto a meeting which is largely not applicable to me. We have a camera on, microphone off culture which I am fine with. However this interminable meeting coincides with my snack time so I’m often having my mid morning snack while listening / multitasking.

DD gets me up at 5:30am so I definitely need morning snacks to make it to lunch. Nobody else ever eats in meetings though so I just wondered whether I’m breaking the etiquette.

AIBU to snack?

YABU: control yourself, woman, and stop eating ion screen, nobody wants to see this

YANBU: nobody cares what you’re doing if you’re just a lurker, munch away.

It's rude to do with video on, distracting for people who really should be watching the speaker. If your microphone is on too I guarantee some/most of your colleagues think you're a twat. Unless your diabetic/other medical condition I can't understand why you wouldn't postpone 'snack time'

@SengaMac

This

Would you eat in the meeting room if you were in the office?

I do sometimes eat in meetings (with apologies) because I don't get time to eat lunch otherwise!

@Wankerchief

Umm I start work at 5am and get a lunch break at 12:30…. You can make it through without wilting away. Would you eat in the meeting room if you were in the office?

Do you really not eat during all that time?? I’d literally be shaking from low blood sugar.

OMG I never realised this was verboten! I've been gnawing my way through a lot of meetings this past year .

Very rude imo. I used to work with somebody who snacked through telephone conferences and that made me murderous.

It's a strange one as when I was in the office people would regularly eat during meetings but its a no no on Teams!

Either switch your cam off for a bit or eat at a different time.

How long is the meeting

Surely you can snack before if it’s long

Think the key thing is , would you do this in the office in a meeting

I wouldn’t do it but it’s a good point that I wouldn’t think twice about tucking into a biscuit in a meeting IRL. We always have Lotus biscuits in the meeting rooms at work and I’ve been know to snaffle quite a few if I’ve got a back to back morning

And agree that you need to eat, on mornings when my DD has woken me at 5 I have an early breakfast at 6 and a late breakfast at 10

A quick bite of a cereal bar you might get away with.A chicken dinner with gravy not so much.

"Snack time?"

Unless you are fucking 5, seriously?

I ate an apple in my daily team meeting the other day. I perhaps wouldn’t do it every single day, but I don’t think there’s a problem with it. We used to eat in our meetings IRL. People would bring cakes and biscuits etc. specifically for the meetings.

I wouldn't eat with my camera (or mic!!) on, but fine to turn it off surely? And yes, I would eat in a meeting because often that is the only time I can. Doesn't matter if it's lunch or a snack. Your food intake is nobody's business but your own!

YABU, unfortunately. I get it as I’m also up at 5.30 most days, but I have a second breakfast/snack just before starting work, on the way back from nursery drop-off so that I’m not wasting time at work snacking or risking being stuck on a call without the opportunity to have anything until lunch.

Would you eat in a meeting in the office? It’s not really accepted to do that at work in the office so no I wouldn’t do it. I like a mid morning snack but I have it around meetings just like I do in the office.

A cup of tea is fine but it’s not professional to sit there eating in a meeting, regardless of your level of involvement. I’m sure you’ll survive until lunchtime.

I wouldn’t on camera especially if you are the only one eating. Drinking (water/coffee) is more acceptable.

Can you turn the camera and sound off if you absolutely must do it?
It’s really unpleasant to watch and hear people munching away on zoom calls.

It's rude to do with video on, distracting for people who really should be watching the speaker.

This. Turn your camera off for a bit - if that would be frowned upon, so will you eating. Have snack time before or after the call.

I literally had no idea adults had a snack time 🤣 camera off to eat or just eat before the meeting starts.

@HunterHearstHelmsley

It's a strange one as when I was in the office people would regularly eat during meetings but its a no no on Teams!

Either switch your cam off for a bit or eat at a different time.

I think the thing is that then it’s a communal experience. A meeting where there’s a plate of biscuits and coffee for all is not the same as the weird experience of watching a colleague eat on camera.

I hate seeing people eating but at least you have the decency to turn your microphone off unlike some of my colleagues. Just turn your camera off for a few minutes.

I knew there would be someone coming on talking about shaking from low blood sugar. You need to get to the doctors as it’s not normal - an adult should be able to function for most of the day without eating. Do you wake up shaking from lack of food too? Could be first stage diabetes which is really serious.

Can this be real?

'Snack time' 🤦🏻‍♀️

Tea/coffee is fine. If you must have a biscuit or similar, just briefly go off camera. Otherwise, no, eating during a meeting, especially online, is really poor etiquette.

I was never a fan of lunch meetings in a f2f environment. Too hard to work & manage sloppy sandwiches.

But in an online meeting, because you are seeing people's faces close up, it's just not ok to eat.

If you really haven't another time you can 'snack', you act like an adult and excuse yourself for 10 minutes or so.

I think it’s rude and wouldn’t do it.

I’m also overweight and I feel self conscious eating in front of others as I credit them with uncharitable thoughts that I’m sure they’re not actually having.

Are you a small child? If your snack time is late or early will it effect your sleep pattern, your next meal or will you just have a big old tantrum until food is available? If not then YABU, surely you can wait.

I understand though, I hate it when I get a call and I am half way through my food.

I think it could be distracting for every one else. I would try to evade the camera when taking a bite. Lol.

Snack time for adults exist!! Just No one calls it that