There’s more to lunch breaks than just eating

HR leaders said eating lunch together isn’t just about the food but also a very powerful way to build a culture of camaraderie.

As return-to-office plans gain traction, the transition of employee habits will remain a point of deliberation. During work-from-home times, lunch with the family was a privilege, one that will be missed as people return to the office.

However, the idea of lunch breaks has evolved. A study by global leader in workplace hygiene Tork in June 2022 showed that taking a lunch break, particularly with takeout, had positive effects on employee happiness, engagement, and productivity.

Moneycontrol interacted with a cross-section of HR leaders to bring out the most critical aspects of lunch breaks – apart from eating.

Utilise the break

What Indranil Choudhury, head of HR at UTI Asset Management Company, observed across functions and age groups is that people use lunch breaks to network with their peers and seniors, to acquaint themselves with newcomers, celebrate team or individual successes and occasions, or chit chat with like-minded people.

“There are few who utilise the break to seek advice or guide others to deal with challenges which eventually can benefit themselves and enhance professional learning or discuss business and industry trends,” he said.

Whatever employees may pursue at this time, taking a break gives them time to reflect on what they’re doing and in a way enhances their decision-making skills.

However, Choudhury underlines the need to stick to a particular time for the lunch break and, importantly, to stay away from the workstation.

New normal

The pandemic resulted in millions of people suffering from loneliness, although many thrived and took the opportunity to spend quality time with their families. However, various employees said that lunch at home was at the mercy of online meetings during the past two years.

Scheduled lunch breaks have brought back that sanity between meeting overloads.

ALSO READ | Corporates turn creative, line up BMW bikes, iPads for Diwali gifts

“It took no time for people to start casual discussions and build social bonding in our food court,” said Gaurav Kapil, HR lead at B2B trade platform Udaan.

“Work lunches are a great opportunity to build relationships with colleagues. Not only do lunch breaks allow colleagues to get away from their workstations, getting a bit of a stretch and returning rejuvenated, but they also allow us to bond with colleagues as fellow beings,” said Sunil Kumar Nautiyal, CHRO (operations) at Zamit India.

With employees spending a large part of their lives at work, Nautiyal said many of them would claim their best friends are work friends.

“These friends are certainly not made in the boardrooms, but over lunch, in the corridors and by the coffee machine,” he said.

He suggests lunch breaks can be used effectively by building relationships through informal conversations, especially with colleagues from other departments, or even going for a brisk walk.

Building camaraderie

HR leaders said eating lunch together isn’t just about the food but also a very powerful way to build a culture of camaraderie.

Lunch breaks at work provide a daily ‘potluck’ opportunity to the team and provide a sense of belonging to the community, said Needhi Lazara, CHRO of EV charging network Statiq.

That’s why Lazara enjoys a team lunch.

ALSO READ | Monitoring employees who don't vote: Are corporates going too far?

“It allows connecting beyond just work. It opens up a dialogue around the weekend gone by, common interests, shared fitness goals… to name a few,” Lazara said.

However, she recommends it is best not to pick work conversations during lunch, particularly if you are the manager and eating with the team.

Lazara said one should not carry performance conversations or feedback to the lunch table. Also, she added some team members may not be conversation starters.

“One should be sensitive to that and should involve them in conversations and not let them feel left out,” she said.