334
It is rude of people to attach themselves to a lunch party without being invited. Lunch is not work time, and people can spend it how they want. On the other hand you have identified an issue, that other people in the office want to do lunch with colleagues, and they aren't getting the opportunity, and it would be good for the workplace if you do something ...
227
You were invited for a team event and you should go unless you are not available for official or personal reasons during that time. None of the reason can be "I do not know the person".
If you do not know him, this a chance for you to get to know him along with several other things about the company, culture and people.
225
I really want to come forward and say something among the lines of
"I'm really sorry, I meant no ill intention, it was all a mistake and
I can even offer to pay back the caterer's fee if you want.", since
I'm a very honest person.
That is exactly what you should do. You are an honest person and honest people admit their mistakes. And everyone makes ...
189
Let's look at this from a different angle. The laws of the land would classify this time away from your desk as not only lunch, but a lunch BREAK. And a break, by definition, means a separation of joined parts. During your break, this means that you, and only you, direct what you do and you have no obligation to justify what that is.
Your team leader has ...
141
The next time he messages you, go a little meta.
No thank you. I am not going to agree to go to lunch just you and me. I would like you to stop inviting me for that.
No more. Don't say why. Don't say that "you really like him but" or that are flattered or you appreciate his interest. Do not give him some sort of compliment to feel better after being ...
131
Since you say that you won this one-on-one lunch with the CEO as some sort of prize, I wouldn't go in expecting to spend the whole time talking business. With 1500 people in the company, the CEO would probably like to get an idea of who his or her employees are, so you could expect to make some small talk at first. Your CEO may ask that old standby, "So, ...
119
So my question here is: "Would it be unprofessional to go to a
team lunch and not eat anything."
I wouldn't specifically label it "unprofessional", but some might. But it would likely be considered odd.
Check out the restaurant's menu ahead of time. Find something on the menu you can eat - if not an entree, consider ordering an appetizer, salad or soup. ...
113
There are two issues here I think. First issue is lunch itself.
Put it on your boss. When they send you the meeting request, simply ask:
This is clashing with my lunch. Do you want me to break for lunch earlier(or later)?
If your schedule is packed outside your lunch hours, make your boss aware of that:
This is clashing with my lunch and I cannot ...
109
What problem is this trying to solve?
Reception of this policy will entirely depend on whether the team perceives a problem with current state -- or not.
A boss ramrodding this for no reason? It will cause a negative morale hit.
Normally this sort of thing is up to a boss's discretion (and/or company policy), assuming no violations of local labor laws.
...
105
My question, how can I effectively avoid eating with him in a
restaurant and not make him turn to be an enemy?
This is going to be a challenge. My suggestion to you is to let him know that you appreciate the offer, but you have other lunch plans. Rinse and repeat, continue telling him the same thing and eventually he will get the hint. It may be more ...
91
For at least a few lunches, pick a restaurant that is busy but takes lunch reservations. Reserve, in advance, a table for just the number in your group.
"I'm sorry, we only have a table for 6 people.".
As well as being an immediate excuse for not adding to your group, it conveys the information that it is a specific group planning to have lunch together, ...
83
To take it one step further, don't just check the menu: call the restaurant and tell them what party you will be coming with (company lunch from X Inc and the date) and ask if they have or can make something off the menu.
When reserving, your team may have had the foresight to ask, and the restaurant may have been secretly accommodating. You'll also be able ...
76
If I am at a lunch, and everybody contributes money to the bill under the assumption that there is a tip, and the person handing over the money is not handing over a tip, then this is not just "stiffing the waiter", that person is also defrauding everyone contributing to the payment.
Say five people, £100 bill, you agree to pay £15 tip, everyone ...
75
How can I deal with such situation ?
In general there isn't anything wrong with what you are doing. I also eat lunch at my desk or at home for health and cost reasons. Do not lie about your reasoning.
Having said that, you need to engage in the team lunch on occasion to help you with being perceived as a team player. Try going with them once every two ...
75
While probably not what you want to hear, when one has a unique aversive objection to something that is a widespread social norm within an industry and cannot realistically be argued to be harmful, the best solution may be trying to mitigate the sensitivity, rather than to change other's behavior.
Of course what is considered a norm and what is offensive is ...
63
Absolutely. While there's one person going to this lunch who isn't going to be around very long, there are going to be a lot of other people who are going to be important to know and work with in your job, and it's a good way to meet people.
You're likely to not be able to make the best of the networking opportunity, but even just having people know that ...
56
As this is a prize won, I doubt the CEO will be interrested in a deep analysis of the company. It will be a light conversation, small talk. Most likely about the non-workplace side of you. If the CEO is known to be proud of his daughter's showjumping, ask how that is coming along.
But the most important part, take small bites. There is nothing worse than ...
55
Tip 1: Don't be a jackass
You are still at work, and you are still representing your company, rude remarks and vulgar jokes are out of the question. Act professionally like you would do at work in the company of those managers.
Tip 2: Don't be a jerk to the staff
Sure maybe the waitress and the cooks screwed up and put your pickles in at right angles ...
55
The problem: For some reason, there are people joining us without
being invited.
That really isn't the problem. The problem is that you are trying to have a clique in a bigger sphere of people - a workplace. In workplaces, the idea of cliquing is rarely positive as it leads to suspicion about company decisions, and feelings of being excluded for those "...
51
I was wondering if it is a common practice for schools (or
institutions) to force their staff to use canteen?
No, it’s not common, and it’s probably not legal for them to do so, but I am not familiar with Nepal's laws and customs.
The only way I have seen where a school can tell you where to eat (in other locales) is if you have a scholarship which ...
46
Unless you actually have a set lunch time, just take your lunch at a different time.
Where I work, most of my colleague are in a different time zone (1hr difference). I often spend my normal lunch time in teleconferences because they don't always think before scheduling the meetings. I just take my lunch earlier or later. If your lunch is at a set time just ...
45
First of all, racist/sexist remarks in the workplace are red flags that ought to have you go to HR immediately, especially if it is a supervisor (rather than just a peer).
Avoiding a team celebration lunch (a textbook "team growth / building") activity is not your only real problem here.
Making excuses to not go is only delaying the inevitable : Your ...
43
Do you have a car? Heading out to your car during lunch can definitely work. (I'm an IBM intern in Beaverton, so I know that the weather is generally cooperative where you're at)
Are there nearby bus stops? I know TriMet is pretty active in your area, and if you time the right route, you can catch a bus, find a corner, and then have your alarm wake you up ...
42
This has nothing to do with your manager. If you are the only employee that noticed this then you may want to just leave it alone. If you are all talking about it then the sensible thing to do would be to ask your co-worker about it. I would just be straight forward, "We noticed that you didn't leave a tip at the restaurant. Is there a reason why?"
So ...
41
This is almost impossible to answer without being there, but I'll try and give some guidance from my Point of View:
Is it ever acceptable?
Absolutely - we've all got to eat and, despite best efforts and 'official guidance', sometimes our days conspire against us. It's something I've certainly done, especially with last minute meetings. And some meetings ...
37
Have you tried talking to your coworker?
I think you should should pull your coworker on the side, and ask her if she would mind eating in another area. I would leave out the nauseating part, and go with something along the lines of it being distracting since the smell is so strong.
Going to management would be your next step, but if you do that first it ...
37
I know how you feel. You want a small group for lunch. It is easier to coordinate, it is easier to talk, it is easier to find a table, it is more efficient.
My experience when getting a group together for lunch is they pick a place in the building to meet, and the longer they take at that central visible location, the more likely they are to be spotted. ...
36
There is zero chance of any sane person answering that this is a good idea or even a reasonable thing to do. So I'm going to give a resolution to what I think is the core issue. Your stuff is being stolen. This is both frustrating and angering you for the obvious reasons.
The core issue is to catch the thief and send a message to all thieves that it's a bad ...
36
Free food. End of story.
Also, a chance to meet the rest of the team in an informal setting.
35
Unless specifically stated otherwise in the individual employment contracts, this is fair game for change.
I don't think the effect on morale should be oversimplified. Being able to consistently find people throughout the day helps morale. Also with the same lunch hour employees are more likely to eat together which can improve morale in a bigger way ...
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