Breakfast at your desk

amcalester

....... wrote: »

I understand the point - its the norm where I work - people eat at their desk to free up lunch hour for non eating activities.

How is it flouting the system?

If you can work while you eat then what difference does it make if you eat at your desk and then go out for an hour?

Id say the Call Center staff aren't allowed eat while on calls, so it could be seen as unfair if other staff, namely the admins, can eat their lunch and then take their full hour when the CC staff can't.

GreeBo

backspin. wrote: »

We had this, people leaving dirty dishes for the cleaner. A few complaints were made and everyone was informed the cleaner would not be doing people's dishes. Worked out.

We still have this problem, despite having signs everywhere.

Oh, forgot to mention, there is a dishwasher 2 foot from the sink.:mad:

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amcalester wrote: »

Id say the Call Center staff aren't allowed eat while on calls, so it could be seen as unfair if other staff, namely the admins, can eat their lunch and then take their full hour when the CC staff can't.

Wow - if the nature of your job is such that you cant eat while you work then why would you complain because someone else can? What a petty workplace culture.

amcalester

....... wrote: »

Wow - if the nature of your job is such that you cant eat while you work then why would you complain because someone else can? What a petty workplace culture.

Have you ever worked in a large open plan office/call center?

I have, and it's very much a case of if Group A get something then Group B have to get it too.

Never mind that it's completely impractical for Group B, and Group A having it has no impact on Group B. It's can be real playground stuff in those places.

Never really bothered me when I worked answering phones, but others would get really worked up about supposed preferential treatment.

klm1

....... wrote: »

I understand the point - its the norm where I work - people eat at their desk to free up lunch hour for non eating activities.

How is it flouting the system?

If you can work while you eat then what difference does it make if you eat at your desk and then go out for an hour?

In any business where phone calls are a part of your normal day, it's not normally acceptable to eat a full meal, lunch or breakfast, at your desk. Eating during phone calls, finishing off mouthfulls, hurrying calls because your food is getting cold, almost choking trying to finish a mouthful in order to take a call before they hang up, not concentrating on work because you're eating. All common problems with eating at your desk.

Lunch break, is just that, a break to eat your lunch on. Where I work, its up to you where you eat that lunch, at your desk, in the canteen, at home, standing on your head in the yard, whatever floats your boat. But it's not permissible to eat your lunch during normal work time and then take your full lunch break elsewhere.

I don't have a problem with someone eating snacks at their desk, or eating lunch/breakfast at their desk if they are just too busy to take a full break. But if someone who works with me ate their lunch whilst working and then disappeared for a full hour, I'd pull them up on it.

amcalester wrote: »

Have you ever worked in a large open plan office/call center?

I have, and it's very much a case of if Group A get something then Group B have to get it too.

Never mind that it's completely impractical for Group B, and Group A having it has no impact on Group B. It's can be real playground stuff in those places.

Never really bothered me when I worked answering phones, but others would get really worked up about supposed preferential treatment.

Open-plan offices are almost an environment of their own, if not tightly controlled they can spiral into an almost free for all, because everyone wants what they see everyone else getting.

uch

I used to work in a Large open plan office that was full of **** so I used to get a Tuna, Egg & Onion Roll for lunch, eat it at my desk and wait for the Bum trumpet to start playing, needless to say I got moved to another office

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amcalester wrote: »

Have you ever worked in a large open plan office/call center?

Always in large open plan offices and never experienced anything like that kind of pettiness but dont doubt it goes on alright.

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klm1 wrote: »

In any business where phone calls are a part of your normal day, it's not normally acceptable to eat a full meal, lunch or breakfast, at your desk. Eating during phone calls, finishing off mouthfulls, hurrying calls because your food is getting cold, almost choking trying to finish a mouthful in order to take a call before they hang up, not concentrating on work because you're eating.

Fair enough if you are on the phone all day, or indeed any role where it would not be possible to eat without a customer/client/patient or whatever to be aware of it. Our receptionist doesnt eat at her desk because she has to deal with people.

But cant see the issue with people working in desk roles where they are working on a computer for the most part - if the phone rings, leave the lunch to one side til its finished.

amcalester

....... wrote: »

Always in large open plan offices and never experienced anything like that kind of pettiness.

Either you've been lucky or I've been unlucky

klm1

klm1 wrote: »

I don't have a problem with someone eating snacks at their desk, or eating lunch/breakfast at their desk if they are just too busy to take a full break. But if someone who works with me ate their lunch whilst working and then disappeared for a full hour, I'd pull them up on it.

And you would be told to F -off as its none of your business.

I have never worked in a job where set lunch times were enforced (either the time you take it or the duration you take) and I'd have zero time for some busy body colleague sticking their nose in. In my previous job for example we took about an hour for lunch. 2 or 3 of us always walked into town to one of a selection of places we would get a takeaway sandwich/roll from (I was one of these) while 2 or 3 others always brought their lunch. We normally took lunch from 1 to 2pm. The group of us who would go out to get a sandwich would head off around 12:40 to be back for one, we would call back to the desks and the others with their own lunch would then come up to our tea room and we would take our hours lunch together.

I can imagine you would be the sort to start kicking complaining about this setup yet it never bothered anyone where I worked.

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klm1 wrote: »

I don't have a problem with someone eating snacks at their desk, or eating lunch/breakfast at their desk if they are just too busy to take a full break. But if someone who works with me ate their lunch whilst working and then disappeared for a full hour, I'd pull them up on it.

Youd be laughed out of it anywhere Ive ever worked and possibly questioned as to why you were creating a problem where none exists.

Work from home some mornings so make and have breakfast with my partner before he heads to work. On the days I'm not working from home I go for an early swim and pick up breakfast at my work canteen and have it in my box of an office before work, I love doing that. It's very relaxing and sets me up for the day.

Provided people aren't eating stinky food I don't see the problem.

Dial Hard

There's a blanket ban on eating at your desk in my company and I really like it, I have to say. No stinky food smells at all. Although I can't imagine being so exercised by the smell of fish in the office that you'd go home over it like one poster.

ger vallely

I have a pint of water at home before I leave. In work (preschool) I have my breakfast while the children are having lunch. A bowl of raspberries and blueberries with Greek yogurt. So I guess it kind of is at my desk. Lovely to sit with a group of 4/5 year olds, nattering and eating.

mvl

Breakfast at my desk : no need, plenty of time for that at home while I prepare lunch boxes for my kid.
Lunch though - I used to go out for lunch with peeps from my team before, or have a lunch group // when I was having less responsibilities ...
Now I don't have time to go to the canteen/restaurant: I would have a sandwich at my desk while ringing into virtual meetings/do my work. Other ppl do the same, guess the company culture allows that.

LimeFruitGum

I prefer to start early instead of working late. I’ll have finished my breakfast & cleaned my crockery long before most people come into the office, so it’s usually not a problem.

When I am on video calls with Californian clients, a few of them will have brought their breakfast in the meeting room, and eat away during the call. These companies provide free food, so employees will usually have their breakfast at work. They’re not really paying attention to the call while they’re eating, but they’re the client, you have to remain polite and repeat yourself as necessary.