Manager insisting I take lunch

[Shanna8]

Hi, I would really appreciate some advice. I am PA to the CEO of a large organisation. I work in a solo capacity, no team or colleagues to have lunch with. This suits me fine. Our canteen is very busy, noisy and full of fellow co-workers who lunch together every day e.g. Finance colleagues sit at one table, HR colleagues sit at another table etc. The CEO sits with other Executive members. It's a bit clicky tbh ... but not having someone to have lunch with does not bother me in the slightest. I take lunch in my office, which I prefer. I tend to eat while working as I'm very busy and would prefer to work through and get home at a reasonable time. My Manager (CEO) has raised this with me on 3 occasions in recent weeks i.e. you really need to start taking lunch, you should not be working while having lunch etc. Yesterday she made another comment and I now feel pressurised and upset. I have told her previously (jokingly) that I have an aversion to the canteen, that I cannot stand it! There are other "solo" workers who also take lunch in their office and yet they are not being targeted. I could approach one of these colleagues for company at lunch time but I don't want to do this. It will result in me being tied to this arrangement every day, having to go to lunch when I don't want to/have something urgent on. There is no-where else to go for lunch except my car. I feel upset and resentful that I will be forced to sit in my car every day when I would prefer to keep working. I am now wondering why my Manager is insisting on this? Is it a duty of care / HR issue? Is she fearful I will take sick leave and cite being over-worked with no breaks? Is there any solution? Should I talk to her? AIBU???

Nobody is doing that. They are trying not to break the law.
Frankly if I were OP's boss (CEO no less) I would take a very dim view of her ignoring me on this and would insist - to the point I may lock her out of the office while I was having lunch.

Are you on minimum wage ? Working through lunch breaks could end up take you under the limit if so.

At my work nobody insists I leave the desk to eat, but I do have to record a 30 min lunch break on my timesheet.

Knowing that 30 mins isn't counting towards my working time makes me more likely to spend the time doing the online grocery shop/reading a book/watching a TV show. I do also work through lunch sometimes, but I am conscious it is "extra" working time!

Out of interest, where does your CEO take her break?

Back in the 90s when workplaces were sane and it was the norm to take an hour for lunch, I would go home - I was a ten minute drive away - and eat my lunch there. Or drive to a nearby park and sit in my car or on a bench there, reading a book or magazine. . The last place I worked it was frowned upon if you took more than half an hour and my boss always worked through at her desk who,e eating a hot meal she’d brought up from the canteen. It was so oppressive. So glad I got out.

I love to work at my desk some days. however, officially you have to take a break.

How about picking another solo worker and arranging lunch together for one day a week?

Sit at your desk and eat lunch but don’t work. Easy.

Would you go and eat your lunch away from your desk if there was a quiet area?

The CEO eats in the Canteen with other Exec members. Don't get me wrong, I would be very welcome to sit with them, or any other team. I just don't want to! I find the endless chit chat a bore. I chat with others when they come into my office, I am friendly and approachable. I just hate the canteen.

When I was working as a PA in a previous life, I enjoying mixing with the various staff groups in the staff canteen, finding out about their jobs, issues they were currently dealing with, etc. My boss was in charge of the whole department of 450 staff and it was a good way to see the mood of the staff and on occasion I would feed back to him "you need to know . . ."

Even if you don't work in a scenic place, even if it's some ugly industrial estate or whatever, you'd still really benefit from having a 30 minute walk and getting some fresh air. It's very damaging to sit down for hours on end and to have no breaks from the screen. You're putting your manager in a very awkward position by refusing to go for lunch. It's the law.

We live in France and currently looking at cars.
All the car showrooms officially close from 12 until 2pm, and I applaud them.
Tbh they will pop out and speak if they see you.

Take lunch and stop working so much. You’re missing the world around you.

I completely understand you OP I’d be exactly the same.

If you feel comfortable enough to sit in the canteen alone with a book or headphones then start doing that or if not then I would just sit in your car/ go for a short walk.

I’d also stop working through lunch, I’d actually stop working outside your hours at all and then maybe your boss might change her mind. 🤷🏻‍♀️

It will definitely become the CEOs business if you develop back problems due to being sat at your desk without a break all day, or develop a stress related illness.

I used to be in a similar situation in a previous job. I would spend half my lunch break at my desk eating lunch and either shopping on amazon or browsing mumsnet, and would go for a walk around the block the other half.

Just bring a book in, say you enjoy the quiet time to read. Whether you do or not is upto you. Your boss is trying to make sure you have time away from your screen as legally required

Yes OP, it is a legal requirement that you cannot work more than 6 hours without a break so your manager is being very reasonable.
In my experience of work life, colleagues asking to work through their breaks and leave early caused all sorts of problems. That is why it is important to abide by legislation. And the canteen is for all, irrespective of who sits where/with whom. Use the opportunity to stretch your legs and get some fresh air

It’s 20 mins.

Go for a 20 min walk round the block or to nearest park? There must be somewhere?

Have you not had health and safety training? You're supposed to take regular breaks from the screen etc. Well, that was a part of our H&S training.
Sit in your office away from the screen. Sit in your car. Go for a walk/drive. You'll probably be more productive from having a break

It does reflect really badly on your manager if other employees see you working through your (unpaid) lunch break. Given that your manager is the CEO, HR must be putting pressure on her to be demonstrate best practices.

I can understand not liking the office canteen, could you go out on a walk, or have lunch a bit early or late, when the place is quieter and it's less noticeable that you are not joining in?

There is an easy solution. Stop working wile you have a lunch break

I work in HR.

The solution is that you take your legally mandated break. The fact you regularly work over your hours as well as not taking a break is an HR nightmare in the making as it puts you at increased risk of burnout and stress related absence, as well as breaking DSE legislation. These put the company at risk of a claim, reputational damage, and having to cover your work. If a manager told us his staff member wasn’t taking their breaks we would formally tell you to do so. Legally we have to make sure you take it during the day, rather than use it to start late or finish early.

So you work through lunch, extra at evenings and weekends. That's actually ridiculous. She's trying to make you take a break like you should be doing anyway.

Your boss sounds great! You should be taking desk breaks regularly and it is unhealthy to work through lunch. Can't you go for a walk or to a cafe? A break in the car is better than nothing, take a book or listen to the radio. Or sit in the canteen alone? I totally understand not wanting to join a group at a big table but your manager is doing their duty insisting you take your breaks.

Aside from the legal/duty of care bit- I've been a PA many times before and frankly part of the job is representing whoever you support, so maybe your boss doesn't think it sets a very good example?

Do you socialise/chat to other teams and colleagues outside of the canteen/not just about work? I would also say that being a PA means building some of those relationships, being eyes and ears for the person you support (esp if they are a leader or CEO), and having lunch with people is a great way to do this.

All that being said- you shouldn't be forced into talking to people if you don't want to. Are you ND or suffer from anxiety? If so then talk to your boss about it, they should make reasonable adjustments.