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???

Yes to this. Not taking breaks in order to avoid working later than I already do. I work in healthcare (public service). Funding is directed for the recruitment of frontline, clinical staff but Admin are lean on the ground. Our admin team is small - we all have heavy workloads. I plan to work in this environment for the next four years and then I will leave.

Have you ever told your manager you can't stop for lunch because your workload's unmanageable? Tell them you're working through and extending at the end of the day because you have to. This isn't a sustainable way to work, so you've got to take the opportunity to speak up when it presents itself.

Also this.

So many people work more than they're being paid for.

We're all replaceable. Even those of us who work for decent bosses and companies would still be replaced if we keeled over.

Work what you're paid for, and do it well. The rewards will be the same.

I speak from experience.

Haven’t RTFT but read all OP’s posts… are you eating smelly food in the office by any chance?

The solution is you step away from your workstation and read a book. I have staff who do just that. Why can't you?

No lol. Just a sandwich and a cuppa normally.

You're unlikely to last another 4 years at this rate.

I could do that, yes.

I'm coming at it from a different angle. I'm assuming (maybe wrongly) that op is happy to do this, love of the job type thing.

Not easily replaced the case for everyone either, but I get what you mean, but the person wouldn't be handing in their notice if they are happy to do extra hours, would they?

Not easily replaced the case for everyone either

It really is.

It is. There's always someone who can step into a role.

Whether they do it as well or are as willing to be worked to death is a different thing. But there is always someone else.

If she went down sick tomorrow? broke her arm? had a stress induced stroke? Somebody else would be sitting in her desk by Monday. Or if she wasn't replaced (you wouldn't be in my job!) the rest of the staff would cover her work, and not work the hours she does!

I work in admin in a hospital @Shanna8 . Hospital business is 24/7. I could literally work 12 hours a day 7 days a week and never catch up. So I don't even try! I keep on top of what is a priority and I catch up on other stuff as and when I can.

If you work in admin in a hospital setting I can 100% some of your colleagues do the bare minimum they can get away with in their hours and leave on the dot of home time.

Don't be a fool. Take up a hobby in the evening and make yourself leave on time.

By the way, admin staff have gone to our managers at various times saying they are burning out and stressed etc. the first question asked is "Do you take your breaks?". When they say no (thinking they're being a hero) management reprimand them saying they need to start taking breaks in order to avoid stress and burn out. Management won't thank you for working beyond your hours. Clerical staff in the health service are not highly regarded! You get no extra thanks or recognition, and are probably paid significantly less than your longer-term colleagues who don't do as much.

Everyone is easily replaced, and you are 100% kidding yourself if you think otherwise. We all like to think our contribution is incredibly important and essential, but it's just not true.

I've worked in an organisation where the CEO went off sick (and never came back) with zero notice due to a very serious diagnosis. This was a man who worked very long hours, never took all his annual leave, and was convinced the organisation would fall apart without him there to control things. The rest of the exec stepped in initially, and an interim was in post within a week or so.

"The graveyard is full of indispensable men" (and women)

Wasn't talking about my role tbf, I think mine is fairly easily replaced. It's fact that some roles aren't easily replaced (note I say easily, not that its impossible).

All said in the context of if someone was to hand in their notice for working extra hours they'd be easily replaced, which I said wouldn't happen if they were happy to do the extra hours (love of the job).

And this is exactly what I was getting at earlier.

This isn’t sustainable. Please raise your workload with your manager. It’s not enough to tell you to take breaks if your workload makes you feel you can’t.

It doesn't sound like @Shanna8 is doing it for the love of the job. It sounds like she's doing it because she feels she has to.

I work in hospital admin. I really enjoy my job. I'm good at it, and I take pride in it. But I'm also realistic about what can be achieved in the hours I'm contracted. I sometimes stay back late, but that is to benefit me. To help me clear my desk a bit so that I'm more organised when I know things are tight or a particular deadline is approaching. But I don't routinely stay back because it is a bad habit to get in to and it is not necessary. As I mentioned I could work 12 hours a day 7 days a week and still never be on top of my work. If I was so inclined, I could convince myself that it was necessary for me to work that much. But that would simply be untrue.

No offence @Shanna8 but you work in Admin in a hospital. Your role isn't specialist and if you were suddenly absent for any reason tomorrow somebody else would take over your role and do it in the hours allocated and take their breaks and go home at home time.

Your manager has a duty of care to you. They've seen all this before and have dealt people who thought they were indispensable, and if they weren't available every hour that God sent the place would collapse without them. The health service will not collapse if you take your lunch and stop working extra hours. It ran before you and it will continue to run after you.

No tbf latest op posts don't sound like it's because she doesn't mind.

Op as others say you should point out why you feel you can't take breaks. Or just start taking them but if things don't get done and its raised as an issue then explain.

How long have you been there? Do you know why the last person left?

I was always out the door at lunchtime, and didn't return for an hour. It's really not good to sit at your desk to eat your lunch, you need a break. If I couldn't have gone home for lunch I would have eaten in the canteen, and maybe gone for a walk, looked around the shops etc. When I only had a half hour break I sat in the canteen and chatted - but of course that is a foreign notion to many MNers. Heaven forbid they actually chat to a fellow worker! As pps have said, earlier generations fought for workers' rights, don't be so quick to toss those rights aside.

“My boss is ensuring I take my legally and contractually required break”. I’ve reworded your post for you.
you took the time to post this at a point that was presumably pre your lunch break (11:43), why not leave things like that as something to do at lunch that isn’t working.

Not snooping or the kind of thing that might come up in a team meeting per se, more "you know the new Government regulations and their subsequent impact you and your management team have spent the past month getting your head round and are now at peace with? Well a significant number of staff in the department know something is coming their way, possibly redundancies, and they're at the stage you were a month ago and are feeling on edge about it. They could do with some reassurance."

So sorry to see your post this is obviously a major issue and anxiety provoking for you. As others have already posted there is a legal requirement to have a break of at least 30 minutes if you work a certain number of hours every day. However why not book a 15 minute meeting in with your manager/CEO to tell exactly how you feel, as per your post, and see if there is a compromise to be had. You won't know if you don't ask, this is obviously very important for you, and your manager needs to know how you feel which is totally understandable. I have no doubt you are very good at and very conscientious in your role and if you were a member of my team I would want to know how you feel and what we could do to find a solution everyone is happy with, good luck with sorting this out.

I have been with the organisation for 18 years (3 years in this current role). The girl I replaced only stayed 4 years and I was recently told she applied for a higher grade due to the workload. She was refused the higher grade/higher salary and then left.

Why are you planning to stay 4 years? Is it to get a permanent contract? Have you the option to interview in the meantime for other posts.

Believe me, I work in the health services, there are easier roles for more money! You can interview for higher grades or even request a transfer to a different dept within your grade. There are jobs where you don't have to work yourself into the ground. And you'll get exactly the same thanks for it.

It's not like your in a company that can reward you with pay rises or promotions. You are on a salary scale and any jobs will be awarded from a panel.

Don't be an eejit.

I think she's just worried about you. If she says it again I'd just say to her that your workload is such that you feel you can't take your lunch break without adding half an hour on to the end of your day and you'd rather not do that. Then either she can work with you to reduce your workload or she can let you manage said workload in the way you want to.

You’re hardly being targeted because your manager wants you to take a lunch break. It’s super unhealthy to sit at your desk all day long. Take 30 mins and go for a walk round the block then you can still eat at your desk and remain anti social to your hearts content.