Lunchtime Rules at the Office
Eating lunch at the office in Indiana can sometimes be a very tricky and nerve wracking event. We have a lot of taboos and expectations that most of us even have a hard time navigating.
Time
Lunchtime in Indiana is usually around noon, and more often than not it is exactly noon. Don’t come to someone’s desk at 11:55 and ask to discuss something.
Some companies are very strict about how long you get for lunch, and some are very lenient. On the stricter side, you will get thirty minutes, and you must clock out and in. Certain companies that pay people hourly will not pay them while they are at lunch! A thirty minute lunch means you’ve got to be super efficient and plan well ahead of time.
The more relaxed offices won’t blink much of an eye at an hour lunch as long as you are getting your work done.
This varies drastically and you’ll need to check with your office manager and colleagues.
Where to Eat
There are three main options of places to eat
- In the lunchroom/breakroom
- At a food court/cafeteria attached to your office
- Outside at a nearby restaurant/food truck
Eating in the Breakroom
Eating in the breakroom is by far the cheapest option and here you will find the most frugal people. Some people will bring their own food from home, while others may bring leftovers from when they went out to a restaurant the night before.
Breakrooms and lunchrooms are generally pretty depressing places, often without any natural lighting and in small spaces.
The average breakroom has a refrigerator, microwave, and sink. You can put your food in the refrigerator when you get to the office in the morning. Put your name on it if it is a plain paper or plastic sack. Eating food that is not yours in the refrigerator is a big taboo, but does happen.
There are a few community items such as ketchup and mustard, but by and large, you should not use anything else in the fridge.
Many people will use the microwave to heat up their lunch. There is often a line of people waiting to put their dishes in there. If you plan to use the microwave for more than two minutes, try to get to the lunchroom early or late. Otherwise it’s considered rude to use the microwave too long in the middle of the lunch hour.
One of the biggest taboos is heating something up in the microwave that has a strong smell. Unfortunately, for most Americans, any type of Indian or other ethnic food has a strong smell. Heating it up in the microwave will cause the smell to waft to other areas, or may make the next person’s dish taste like yours. If you plan to heat up your food, try to do it last after everyone else is done.
Another taboo around the microwave is that you must clean it up if you get it dirty. If any of your food spills over or gets on the sides, you need to immediately clean it with a wet paper towel.
While at lunch, take the mood of your colleague. At some offices, no one talks to each other. At others, people only talk in pairs. It is rare for everyone to sit around the same table and participate in the same conversation.
It is not normal to share food at all. You can offer your food to others, but be prepared for them to say no. It doesn’t mean they dislike your food, but more so they are just uncomfortable with sharing.
Eating at the Cafeteria
There are less taboos around eating in a food court or cafeteria. You can go by yourself or wait to go with a group of colleagues. If you see someone from your team eating by themselves, don’t assume they want someone to sit with them. First ask if it’s alright if you sit down. While the answer will almost always be “yes”, try to pick up on their body language to know if they would rather be left alone next time. Look for avoiding eye contact, not bringing up any conversation, and general unpleasantness.
Eating Out at a Restaurant
If you are planning to eat outside the office, you may want to let colleagues know ahead of time. It’s not normal for someone to go out to a restaurant by themselves to eat. At your office, there may be a particular day when people go out to eat (often Fridays). People tend to eat with their friend group, whether or not they are on the same team or not, so this is a good way to become aware of the social cliques in the office.
The group may wait until they get in the car to finally choose a place that fits for everyone. If you are vegetarian, your options will be limited at any restaurant, so be ready for mostly cold salads as the main choice.
You may have some food trucks nearby. The rules for food trucks are more similar to eating at a food court.
The big rule about eating out for lunch is that everyone always gets separate bills. Occasionally on someone’s birthday, everyone else will put in some extra money to cover the birthday boy/girl’s portion of the meal (as opposed to someone ‘treating’ everyone else on their birthday).
The normal rules of conversation apply when eating out, but be especially sensitive that many people won’t want to talk about work-related matters and may get annoyed if you bring it up often.
Lunchtime can be a scary time, even for natives to Indiana. Take some time to figure out the culture around your office and adapt as you can!
