Ugh eating during an online meeting.

[digimumworld]

Is it rude to eat during an online meeting?

I work for an organisation that’s global but remote. We meet for an hour every day at the same time. It’s the only time we are really committed to be in one virtual room. Apart from our individual meetings or client meetings or the odd in person meeting.

I got so annoyed at a colleague that decided to have their breakfast during the call. And a few seniors pointed out the chewing sarcastically.

There are less than 10 of us on the screen so you can see everyone. They are taking spoonfuls, licking teeth, chewing, and when they have to turn the mic
on to speak, you can hear them clearing their teeth, it’s all salivary etc because.

I mean is it so hard to eat before or after the meeting - with the knowledge that this is the one time we meet every single day?

You wouldn’t do this in an in person meeting.

Is this a GenZ thing?

Sorry I find it rude. And annoying.

Or maybe this is the decline in social skills we talk about.

AIBU?

Wow. I regularly eat during teams meetings - because there is hardly time between to do so - I had no idea it bothered people. I will mend my ways. No one has every said this. I usually just turn my camera off and eat with it in background. My boss does it with me 1:1 and I never minded it. We don’t talk with mouth full and use mute button.

I can’t believe how thick people are to assume their chomping and eating doesn’t affect other people on the call?
how self centred can you be ?

Why would other people want to watch and hear your grotesque mouth movements . Absolutely horrid . You wouldn’t take a shit on camera would you ? So why do you think it’s acceptable to chomp your way through a meeting ?
Revolting and disrespectful to your colleagues and your manager should pull you up about it.

I have had to stick a post it note over some people on teams calls so I can’t see them when they do this .

They should turn their mic off but it’s not unusual to be eating your breakfast/lunch for an informal internal meeting where I work so I think you’re overreacting a bit

I’ll admit I’m quite overly sensitive to this as I just can’t abide chewing/licking lips noises- actually going through me typing this as I’m thinking about it.

I can’t believe people don’t realise it’s quite rude or may bother other people!

If absolutely necessary due to no breaks or something, just turn mic/camera off or excuse yourself for a few mins!!

You’re completely mad

When it was "new" in 2020, I remember thinking this about someone eating in our Zooms. She'd never needed to eat in "real" meetings, so when she must have had more time, with not needing to travel in, why was she suddenly needing to eat (no kids, before anyone says she was struggling with schools shut)? I remember thinking how good online meetings were, and how behaviour like that would get us all dragged back into having office ones.

Guess what. Online meetings ended as soon as lockdown did!

Unless there is a really good reason (medical condition, no other time, then it's not ok. Nor is doing childcare/talking to family/putting a wash on etc-do it in your breaks!

Our office culture is thar it's pretty normal to eat at desks, etc.

I eat my lunch at my desk because I spend my lunch hour at the gym.

Pretty much all my colleagues eat breakfast at work, a lot of us are parents, juggling school drop-off, etc. and would rather our workmates got an extra 15 minutes in bed or to get ready in the morning over having breakfast at home, it's no biggie.

Eating during meetings / team meetings is very rare and only when someone has a packed day, but it's normally accompanied by an apology, muted microphone and camera off whilst chewing.

I hate the sound of chewing, but I'm really surprised by some of the really dramatic comments on here about people being "disgusting", etc.. Perhaps it's been a long day...

In the circumstances you described it’s very unprofessional.

You don’t need breakfast that doesn’t mean other people don’t. I never used to need breakfast but in the last two years as I’ve eaten healthier I find myself ravenous by 10am and literally feeling lightheaded if I don’t have breakfast.

I can imagine it's annoying and assume you've never had a 'let's do an eat lunch together meeting'? This happens often in schools, basically trying not to create even more after hours meetings so we will literally have one in lunch break (usually half an hour or 45 mins).

This is actually better than being on duty and standing up scoffing your lunch to go to next class but yes annoying and tiring 😫

This is fine for management, who can go back to their offices, while we continue to greet the next class with bell tasks, sign in to register and have them completed focused within 5 minutes 😀

So, it all depends on your environment really. If you don't need to eat in a meeting then yes it can wait generally. When finishing last lesson then rushing to a meeting we will have a snack en route, but sometimes food is offered so we all have some! Xx

@Fidgety31i also wouldn’t take a shit at a table at a restaurant… but I would eat. Eating publically is pretty universally accepted as ‘not the same as defecating’.

I was part of an important meeting recently. The client/ service user was central to important conversations. She was at the meeting with four others who were discussing how we support her. She ate a bowl of spaghetti throughout. I’m still baffled by that. The bowl was directly in front of her camera and she twizzled and slurped away. So front and centre was her fork. Ridiculous and rude actually

But surely you plan your day accordingly. It’s not like demand feeding with a baby. Would you always expect to stop work and eat whenever suits you? Surely not. There’s something going wrong these days. People eat full hot meals on public transport. It’s the sense of entitlement and lack of manners that I have an issue with

Yes, but I can have an opinion and not freak out about another opinion. Relax and eat your Cheerios if that brings you joy.

I think you're silly and you can comment elsewhere to someone else. I'm not interested in your dramatics. You don't get to shut people down with stories no one knew about until you decided to make them public to score cheap shots online and shut down conversations. I'm not playing your silly game.

I believe they all state there are pros and cons and aren't necessary but not harmful, either. Thanks for reading.

It's vile. I've known people do it because they're in solid meetings without a break, or because they want to give the impression they are too busy to stop for lunch.

So ignore me? Get a life and stop trying to be so dramatic online! It's exasperating. You are not the thought or speech police. I can say how I want in the way that I want and if you're offended that's a you problem!

I can say how I want in the way that I want and if you're offended that's a you problem!

The mantra of the socially inadequate throughout history.

What kind of a job is that? Don't you feel the need to reevaluate?

Yes all very interesting but it's not remotely like OPs scenario is it?

Some of us have back to back meetings for the majority of the day. If I am on teams meetings from 9-4 without a lunch break, I will definitely eat at some
point. I’ll be muted and the camera will be off, but I’m not going to be going without food.

You have no control over your calendar?

You do have a choice though. Eat before, then eat after. You won’t starve if you don’t eat for 6 hours!

I think it depends on the circumstances. Back-to-back meetings all day - you might not have a choice. I would explain to other people in the meeting and switch the camera off if that happened.

`Breakfast is a bit odd - I'd expect the person to have it before the start of the working day. But OP says hers is a global company - if there's a time difference and the meeting is at 7am for Cornflakes Charlie, then that would be understandable.