Do you eat at your work desk?

[Spud1]

After reading a recent BBC news article on this subject, and looking around my office..I realised that almost everyone here eats at their desk. I'm not talking about a biscuit with their tea, but more breakfast, lunch or even tea..so I wondered, do you, and do you think its rude?

I eat at my desk, mainly as we don't have a canteen here (just a lunch room) and quite often I eat at different times to the colleagues that I get on well with, so rather than sat in the lunch room I will sit at my desk and read the news, browse the internet, watch some iPlayer etc, and also replying to work emails.

I see the same at breakfast time - if I am rushed in the morning i'll eat my cereal at my desk or make some toast in the kitchen and bring it through. It's common here and almost everyone does it - there are a few die hards who always go to the kitchen but they are few and far between. It never occurred to me that it might be rude until today - I never eat anything smelly at my desk but for sandwiches/cereal thats not really an issue.

It's kind of sad in a way, as there is less socialising with your colleagues, but its becoming a trend in the office workplace I think!

[Phage]

Never eat anywhere else.

[Guy]

Yup, usually a bowl of cereal if I am in the office in the morning, lunch, and sometimes dinner at my desk If I'm not out on the road!

[Rob_B]

Not breakfast but lunch certainly, I know its a bad habit as I should be getting a proper break but it's just easier I guess.

[GheeTsar]

Yes I often eat "al desko" at lunch, but I normally go for a 30 mins walk to the sandwich shop each day to get a break from the desk.

[Russ]

Never/Hardly ever

I work with a lady who does nothing but talks about food and eats constantly, will eat a bacon sandwich at 9, then her salad at 9:30 etc then moan shes hungry, so fetch a ginsters, then moan she has belly ache, and goes on and on and on.


i feel better now, thanks

[Saracen]

As I work mainly from a home office, no. Even if I'm in an office, no never. People don't respect breaks (and phone callers certainly don't ) and will happily pester you even if you've got a mouth full of sandwich. So I don't give them the opportunity.

For me, efficient working is about productivity and productivity is about giving the brain a chance to recharge. If I work solidly, including while I'm eating, my concentration suffers significantly as a result. But, if I take a decent lunch break (30 mins will do it), and do something else during it, my productivity and concentration improve markedly. Take a 10 min break and a breath of fresh air mid morning and mid-afternoon and it improves even more. And as I work for myself, I'm very into getting maximum results for minimum effort, and not at all bothered about hours worked, or about being seen to be at my desk.

Oh, and that "something else" means change of scenery, change of focus. It might mean going for a short walk, it might mean watching the TV news, or it might just mean turning the monitor off and watching the birds in the garden.

So no, as a matter of conscious decision, I never eat at my desk. Other people may be different or work different, but for me, I work smart, not work long, and eating at my desk is definitely counter-productive.

[rox0r]

I work with a lady who does nothing but talks about food and eats constantly, will eat a bacon sandwich at 9, then her salad at 9:30 etc then moan shes hungry, so fetch a ginsters, then moan she has belly ache, and goes on and on and on.

I'm guessing she's a tad....'rotund'?

Our building lacks a 'canteen', although it's soon to be refurbished with one in line with corporate policy, so I've always noshed at my desk. Doesn't offend me in the slightest but eyebrows tend to get raised in the open plan if you drag in a KFC or chips with curry sauce etc.

[scaryjim]

I eat all sorts of things at my desk at all sorts of times of day (but rarely breakfast: I can only eat in the mornings on weekends!), but I am quite clear that just because I'm eating at my desk does not mean I'm on a break of any kind. So if people come and bother me, that's fine, because I'm sat at my desk. When I don't want people to bother me I leave the office. Sometimes this means that I only actually get 15 minutes break in a day, but then some days I take a full hour - it all depends on when I got to work and what time I want to leave!

I don't think eating at your desk is rude ever, no matter what you're eating, but if it's something particularly smelly then it could certainly be considered a bit selfish or inconsiderate. There's no doubt, however, that it can hamper productivity, and if I've got a particularly tight deadline or busy day then I don't eat at my desk, I take a proper lunch break instead.

[Saracen]

.... There's no doubt, however, that it can hamper productivity, and if I've got a particularly tight deadline or busy day then I don't eat at my desk, I take a proper lunch break instead.

Maybe that's why I take the line I do ... I don't have to put in any hours, and I've got no boss watching what I do. If I'm at my desk, it's because I want to get work done, and as efficiently as possible, not just because it's part of the working day. It's one of the advantages of working for myself. Another is that while I have deadlines, I can usually ensure they're never tight, because I get to decide when and if I take a job on, so if its going to be too tight, I don't take on extra work I might not be able to do on time, and to standard.

[zigojacko]

I always eat at my desk. Crumbs in the keyboard are a pain though!

[Russ]

I'm guessing she's a tad....'rotund'?

somehow, no

[HSK]

I always eat while I work, at my desk. And so do most my neighbouring work colleagues.

[scaryjim]

... Another is that while I have deadlines, I can usually ensure they're never tight, because I get to decide when and if I take a job on, ...

This was, I think, my favourite part of being self-employed: being able to look at someone's project and say "Thanks for asking, but this is not something I will be getting involved in".

Then again, when I was self-employed I went the other way to you: because I knew what my deadlines were and could largely set them myself I made sure that when I was working I was able to do it in a relaxed atmosphere, so I rarely sat at my desk without a coffee and some kind of snack, simply because I wasn't expected to have x amount of output to show for my 35 hours of work that week. If I tried to sit down and work "properly" I'd just find an excuse to get up and do something else for a bit!

[Allen]

I'm eating at my desk as I type this...

But I rarely do, normally eat in the canteen.

[Saracen]

This was, I think, my favourite part of being self-employed: being able to look at someone's project and say "Thanks for asking, but this is not something I will be getting involved in".

Then again, when I was self-employed I went the other way to you: because I knew what my deadlines were and could largely set them myself I made sure that when I was working I was able to do it in a relaxed atmosphere, so I rarely sat at my desk without a coffee and some kind of snack, simply because I wasn't expected to have x amount of output to show for my 35 hours of work that week. If I tried to sit down and work "properly" I'd just find an excuse to get up and do something else for a bit!

And there lies the biggest drawback to working for yourself - the need for iron self-discipline. I will admit to being a bit .... erm ... elastic, on that score.

Oh, and no paid holidays. That's another drawback.

And no job security. Yeah, no job security, no paid holidays and needing iron self-will.

And isolation of working at home. Iron discipline, job security, no paid holidays and isolation.

And the marketing effort. And .... hey, I'm beginning to sound like a Monty Python sketch.

Thinking about it ..... anyone gotta job for me? I'll even eat at my desk.