A boss has come under fire after imposing a “bizarre” lunchtime rule on his employees – but many think it is “fair” and “reasonable.”
British career expert Ben Askins shared text messages between an employee and his boss discussing a lunchtime faux pas.
‘Where are you? Why aren’t you at your desk? the boss demanded.
The employee became worried and said, ‘I’m going out to lunch, what’s wrong?’
“Lunch is from 12 to 1,” the boss said. ‘It’s almost ten o’clock and I need to talk to you about this (document) you sent me.’
The employee explained: “It’s been a very busy morning and I couldn’t leave until 12:30. I’m back in the office now and will be back in a few minutes.”
“Okay, I know you’re new here, but the reason we have a set lunch time is so that when we need each other, we can communicate with them quickly,” the boss responded.
Mr Askins said: “A fixed lunch time is pathetic.” You are not children. Just say you can take an hour for lunch; take it whenever you want.
A boss has come under fire after imposing a “strange” lunchtime rule with his employees.
He added: “Most people will have it between around 12 and 1, but it doesn’t matter if you have to work late and take it a little later.”
‘Otherwise, people will simply stop working on the things they are already working on.
“In the long run, you’re going to hurt your business if you impose these childish rules.”
The employee apologized for not knowing the rule and promised to return soon.
While the boss said “everything was fine,” he asked the employee to “make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
‘I got you, I’ll do it. Do you still need my help when I return? the employee asked, to which the boss responded, ‘No, don’t worry, I figured it out.’
Askins also said it was “upsetting” that the duo went through “all that” only for the chief to claim he discovered the problem himself.
Many sided with the boss.
‘It’s not pathetic, it’s necessary. If there is no set lunch, people can come and go as they please. The need for structure is essential in any functioning business,” said one of them.
“I’ve never worked anywhere that didn’t have a set lunch time,” another revealed.
“I thought the manager was understanding and fair,” said a third.
But some others criticized the “unreasonable” policy.
‘I had a fixed lunch at a call center with 12-hour shifts. I got in trouble for starting my break late, so I started hanging up on customers on the dot and I got in trouble for that,” one man shared.
‘Scheduled lunches only work when tasks have a guaranteed duration, so you know not to start too close to lunch, or that they can be interrupted and resumed. “Factories can do that, but office jobs often can’t,” said one worker.
Another said: “Why do some managers act as if the world is going to end if a task is not done immediately?”