

Not eating lunch with your team every day? You're missing out. - sonier
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bradsvrluga/2012/06/18/breaking-bread/

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PhrosTT
I enjoy eating alone - because I can listen to podcasts, catch up on life
TODOs, or squeeze in some exercise.

I also don't like to be subjected to forced meal decisions. Some days I want a
light salad type meal. Some winter days I may be a little down and treat
myself to a burger and fries.

I'm glad I work at a place that doesn't judge me for disappearing at lunch
time.

~~~
baddox
It sounds like Google, at least at their main campus, has a sufficiently wide
variety of choices.

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biot
Not vacationing with your team every holiday? You're missing out.

Not living with your coworkers? You're missing out.

And so on. The atmosphere described in this article seems stifling, almost
like a religious service. That doesn't sound like a good way to foster
spontaneous interactions. As others have commented, provide an optional lunch
that is not mandated, isn't expected, and where people who don't participate
are not ostracized. Then get out of the way.

The only exception I can see is for smaller teams where, for planning
purposes, indicating that you'll participate would help with ordering the
right amount/type of food.

~~~
cdr
That seems like a pretty gross overreaction.

The article is about a pretty small, close-knit startup serving a free gourmet
lunch by professional chef. I doubt anyone there feels like it's stifling and
I doubt anyone is thought less of for occasionally doing their own thing.

Certainly this is a Forbes blog and someone may take the idea and try to force
it into an environment inappropriately, but arguing that it can never work
seems over the top.

~~~
biot
Perhaps you misunderstood my comment. I can only speak to the fact that based
on how it was described (the reporter may have misrepresented what it was like
for dramatic effect) I would find it stifling. Even if the description is 100%
spot on and it's not for me, it could be that everyone there enjoys it and it
becomes a good filter for finding employees who are into that kind of culture.
I never stated that it can never work. Only that it would only work for me if
it's a no-pressure, opt-in, spontaneous thing.

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AndrewDucker
I think that making it possible, and encouraging it, is great.

Just don't make people feel bad if they decide to spend their lunch time
dealing with groceries, paying bills, or going for a walk in the sun.

~~~
Cyranix
Exactly. An expectation to perform during personal time is not what the
introverts on your team need.

~~~
overgryphon
Introverted or not, being able to sit down and converse with your teammates is
important. I wouldn't want to work with someone who either couldn't or didn't
feel it important to do so.

~~~
noarchy
That's what meetings are for, right? Or even just the ability to walk to
someone's office/cube/desk, and talk to them about important things. You can
establish a culture of communication within a team that doesn't intrude on
personal time.

~~~
robrenaud
There is a lot of use in say, complaining that a way you are going about a
problem will work, but seems too damn hard. Say for example, I see a 4 hour
solution to a problem that should really be solved in 30 minutes. Often
coworkers who know some systems better, or have a different way of viewing the
problem will see a much easier way to solve it by leveraging tools I don't
know about or approaches I didn't think of.

Certainly, these informal discussions over lunch aren't strictly necessary,
and certainly, having some alternate way of making these discussions happen is
very useful, but they are just often helpful.

It's also not the case that having lunch with coworkers is by any means
mandatory, or that taking the lunch for yourself is frowned upon.

~~~
rhizome
Why can't those conversations occur normally? Is it that they aren't
considered real work?

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omgsean
I go home for lunch every day. I like having an hour to do whatever or take
care of errands in the middle of the day, and I like breaking up the work day
into chunks.

~~~
neeleshs
Its a good thing as long as its not mandated. I rather prefer going home and
having lunch with my wife.

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j_baker
The thing you have to be careful about is _artificially_ creating this kind of
bonding. If a company gives you opportunity to bond with your colleagues,
that's a great thing. However, some people feel as though a team just isn't a
team unless they're eating lunch every day together and everybody _loves_
everyone's company enough to do so.

~~~
rhizome
In my experience, it's usually a cargo-culted management technique. One thing
to keep in mind is that with all the startups of the last whatever-years,
there is a shortage of experienced management, so someone who has gone from
Developer at one company to Director of Engineering at another has only these
stories to cull company strategy.

Furthermore, Forbes.com is the perfect venue for extroverts to circle the
wagons.

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TwistedWeasel
Lunch is my quiet time, I don't want to talk work all day long. I may still
think about it, or even be working while I eat but I don't need a forced one
hour meeting every day to be good at my job.

------
MattRogish
At my current company we all eat lunch together (some bring their lunch,
others eat out). It's not really a policy per-se but everyone seems to do it.

The only policy we have is of no eating lunch at desks so this gets us all in
the same room.

We also have a "Results Only Work Environment" (<http://www.gorowe.com>) so
you're free to do whatever you want, whenever you want, so if you want to get
dry cleaning, walk the dog, catch a movie, etc. - you needn't do it over
lunch. You can do it whenever.

With folks often out various parts of the day due to ROWE group lunch is sort
of an encouragement for everyone to come together and socialize at least once
a day.

~~~
ap3
This rowe sounds interesting - how long have you been using it ? What changes
did you noticed when you started it?

~~~
MattRogish
We've been using it since we started earlier this year.

Changes that I like (from traditional companies):

* We're all treated like respectful adults. We're all trusted to manage our personal schedules to meet the expectations we set on an ongoing basis.

* No start and end time. Thus, I'm never "late" for anything. If I feel sleepy and need some extra rest, no big deal. If the subway is acting up, I don't have to panic and notify everyone I'll be "a few minutes late" (obviously if I have some obligations I've set with someone else, like a conf call at 10a or something, I'll have to make alternate arrangements).

* Every* meeting is optional ( _1:1s are not optional). No need to be dragged into things I don't want to do.

_ I can go to a doctors appointment, dentist, etc. without needing to take
"sick time" or ask anyone. I try and schedule it outside of my "normal"
working hours, as I like a core block of time to code, but if not, no big
deal.

* I can run errands (pick up dry cleaning, meet HVAC repairman, etc.) any time of day without asking permission. OR anyone caring.

* No excuses for why stuff didn't get done. If we agree to get X done in an iteration, it's my job to make sure it gets done. If I decide to go to the beach all week and don't take "vacation" then I'm responsible for the work getting done.

* "Marginal" or folks not cutting it won't work out. If you can't meet expectations, you aren't doing your job, and appropriate penalties will apply. There's no place to hide.

Changes I'm still getting used to:

* Folks can work anywhere, whenever. So often I'm the only one in the office (I like to work at my desk - at home I have too many distractions).

* Pairing takes more effort. I have to make sure to schedule pairing sessions otherwise I'm not guaranteed someone will be sitting next to me when I get in the office.

* All communication needs to be async & recorded. Campfire, Basecamp, IM, email, etc. are used instead of face-to-face chat, as folks may not be here to hear it.

All summed up, I love it. I'd hate to work any other way.

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ctdonath
One of the impromptu perks here is lunch: a most eclectic group of
programmers, chemists, physicists, managers, support, etc. congregate around
one large table and enjoy a discussion thread that flows thru technology,
philosophy, brewing, literature, linguistics, astronomy, cooking, etc. - often
all in one sitting. Indeed, if I'm not there I feel I'm missing out. No
pressure to join in, but indeed a great perk if you do.

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INTPenis
I'm an IT consultant making Swedish style consultant money and I eat out of a
plastic box at the office alone while most of my co-workers are usually eating
out.

I just think it's a waste of money to be honest. Maybe I'm being too pragmatic
because this is far from the first time I hear that it strengthens morale and
team spirit to eat together but I'm not paying 90SEK for a buffet when I get
full from drinking a glass of yoghurt. It's just such a waste.

~~~
theorique
_making Swedish style consultant money_

Is this humble or bragging? I honestly don't know how well (or poorly) Swedish
consultants are paid?

~~~
INTPenis
Relative to some other nations it could be bragging, just look at the standard
of living index. Or the big mac index for that matter. We're almost always
close behind Norway.

But that doesn't translate to much when you live here. I just thought it was a
funny way of emphasizing that I can afford to eat out every day.

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exim
One thing to remember - it is a 1 hour break, not a 25-30 min lunch break.
Just eating is not sufficient for the brain. You also need to take a walk,
breath a fresh air, etc... You should just forget the office for a 1 hour.

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waterlesscloud
Great, as long as it's a paid lunch and counts towards the 8 hours per day
limit prior to accruing overtime.

~~~
dredmorbius
And you get your mandated-by-law lunch break (30 minutes in California).

No, the employer need not pay for this time.

However, they may not impede or discourage it either.

<http://www.gotmealbreaks.com/>

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tokenadult
A lot of the comments are based on the expectation that nothing personally
worthwhile could happen during lunch with co-workers. I'm sure that's an
accurate description of some workplaces. I read the interesting submitted
article as suggesting that for a small start-up, focused on successful
teamwork to launch new products, making part of the team interaction happen
over a tasty, unhurried meal is a change of context that makes the teamwork
more effective and enjoyable. I'm sure that's an accurate description of some
workplaces too.

What each of us has to find out, wherever we work, is what works for us (you
and me individually) and what works for the team. If the company makes more
money for all employees (reflected in higher pay and better benefits that you
desire) and reduces the number of tedious meetings that are not over lunch, it
could be a win-win to have lunch together with everyone else on staff. Last
summer I had a contract to do a remote job where everyone ate together, and I
liked that very well, as some of my colleagues there were people I've known
online for years but rarely see in person. I'm already looking forward to a
longer contract stint with more program responsibilities at the same place
this summer. Conversations over meals will be on the plus side of the ledger
for me as I evaluate whether or not I go back in future years.

~~~
rhizome
_If the company makes more money for all employees (reflected in higher pay
and better benefits that you desire) and reduces the number of tedious
meetings that are not over lunch, it could be a win-win to have lunch together
with everyone else on staff._

My experience is that this is never the case. More often it is in companies
that already have too many meetings and appear to be using lunch as yet
another one.

------
yitchelle
Its not that I don't want to hang out with my colleagues during my lunch
hours, I just have too much other stuff to do like running errands, paying
bills, etc. However, I made an effort to have a coffee break or such with my
colleagues when they have them. I think that is a good compromise for me.

Furthermore, I rather spend the time I have at home with my family rather than
doing the mundane stuff that I can during my lunch break.

~~~
rhizome
Companies benefit when there is a breakdown in work/life separation.

------
photon137
I get inundated with conversations, discussions and emails so much during
work-time that lunch time is often a good time of solitude for me to organize
my plan of action for the rest of the day. I usually take a short walk around
London's alley ways while eating my sandwich - nice experience, to be honest.

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MisterBastahrd
I would never work for a company which required me to spend my lunch or break
time talking about work.

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funkdobiest
Our team does this once a month, and nobody is obligated. I personally can't
stand it even once a month as I am the only vegetarian on the team, so when
they are choosing a place to eat, I always feel like I am making them miss out
on their favorite Bar-B-Q resturant.

~~~
jetti
Our team goes out probably once a week (informally) on Fridays and I feel like
I hold them back if I go. I'm not a vegetarian but I am allergic to dairy and
eggs which makes it hard to spontaneously pick a place to eat.

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exDM69
My team cooks our own lunch in our office kitchen almost every day. We take
turns in the kitchen duty. Today was my turn, whipped up some salad with
halloumi and a little bratwurst in the grill.

I very much enjoy our lunch hours, gives a chance to not talk about work with
your teammates. Looking forward for tomorrow, there's this season's new
potatoes (a local seasonal delicacy!) with some salmon on the menu and I don't
have to cook.

~~~
j_baker
Does your team list cooking skills as a requirement to be hired? It would seem
difficult to ensure that there's a _good_ lunch to be had everyday otherwise.

~~~
exDM69
> Does your team list cooking skills as a requirement to be hired?

No, we don't require cooking skills, but we do require things that are a lot
harder in comparison so should be able to learn to cook in no time. And it's
not a requirement to take part in the cooking either. You're free to go an
grab lunch from a restaurant if you wish.

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cmwelsh
I moved away from the city where my company is located, but I still work for
them as a telecommuter. I miss having lunch with my coworkers. Even though we
rarely talked about work during lunch, it was a great chance to bond and have
fun.

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stacycurl
Not having a life outside work ? You're missing out.

