What is one thing you can do to want to come back to work each day? The win-win of a social lunch.
I used to eat lunch at my desk. Not every day, but many days. No one told me to do this. I just often thought I should. These are the reasons I gave myself.
- “I haven’t made plans with anyone.”
- “I don’t feel like spontaneously asking a friend to grab lunch.”
- “My morning hasn’t been as productive as I’d hoped, so I should keep working.”
- “I have a deadline and need to keep working.”
When I went all day long without a mid-day break from work, I was drained. Eating lunch at my desk started to affect my outlook on my job and career. It started to feel like one big, endless, unexciting road with no breaks.
When I reflect on those early work years, I wonder what would have been different if I had eaten lunch like I did when I was in school? You know…at a table, with other people?
What if I had put in the work to have lunch with other people during the work week? What might that have done to my energy and attitude about work?
Fortunately, I was able to experience this when I spent a year working at a university in Germany. In this workplace, work stopped at noon. EVERYBODY took a break for lunch, often followed by a post-lunch espresso.
The job I had in Germany is still among the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever had, in large part because of the culture of taking lunch together. Eating with the same people every day meant I actually got to know my coworkers. Even more basic, for an hour in the middle of each day, I was with people instead of a computer. I listened and talked instead of analyzing program documents. It felt magical, but it’s also something many of us have the agency to make happen in our own lives.
Here’s what it looked like to break for a social lunch:
At noon, all of my 15-20 colleagues wandered out into the hallway of our building and walked across the street to the cafeteria for a slow-paced lunch. We went through the cafeteria line and met with our trays at our usual table. We talked, we ate. We relaxed for as long as lunch took, usually about a half hour.
After lunch, we walked back outside and stopped by the little espresso truck, ordered an espresso, and chatted a bit more. Then, we headed back to work for the afternoon.
A casual lunch with colleagues and a middle of the day break felt SO, SO, SO good.
One thing that made it so good was that EVERYONE did it. And because everyone did it, it didn’t matter who you were. You didn’t need to be best friends with everyone there. There was just a feeling of being included and not stressing about what to talk about. Listening was fine. Talking was fine. Sitting by different people each day was totally normal.
I’m going to show my cards right now: I think we should not eat lunch at our desks. And we should just accept the consequences.
What do your most enjoyable work days have in common? How can you regularly incorporate *that* into your workday?
A leadership tip
Create a relaxing break during your day to eat lunch (away from work) with at least one other person. Encourage more personal conversation, where people have the opportunity to share their personality and life outside of work. This helps build rapport, trust, and camaraderie.
What I’m up to
– Hosted “Cook to Lead” networking, leadership, and cooking for residents at Hope Lodge in Minneapolis
– Spoke on “Developing your Purpose” at a fireside chat hosted by Starkey Hearing Technologies Women’s Resource Group
– Conducting interviews about connections between leadership & cooking (contact me if you’re interested in being interviewed)
– Facilitating Enneagram Practitioner Panel on October 1
– Coaching 6 year old girls’ soccer, watching 8 year old boys’ soccer, making and freezing lots of meals to make time for this…
– Coaching Leadership Lab at University of Chicago
– Coaching 1:1 on topics such as leadership development, Enneagram, and conflict resolution
Have an idea?
Do you have a topic you want to see featured in this newsletter? Email me your idea at [email protected].
Art credits for featured image: Harmonic Balance of Warm and Cold Colours (1912) James Ward (Irish, 1851–1924)