Brits are still struggling to cope with remote lunches, with nearly half (45%) skipping lunch because they feel uncomfortable eating on camera.
A new study on the modern lunchtime of 180 businesses, commissioned by Just Eat for Business, found that many are struggling to come to terms with on/off camera lunches, with four in five (85%) admitting it makes them feel uncomfortable to eat on camera.
For one in five (20%) their main tactic is to wait for their boss to start eating before they do, nearly two thirds (68%) switch their camera off to eat and one in five (19%) even change their lunch choice because of Zoom dread.
Many are still struggling to even take lunch in this hybrid world, with a third of those who work from home not taking lunch at all. One of the biggest obstacles getting in the way of people taking a break is the pesky lunch time meeting. Over a third of people have something put in their diary over their break and an unfortunate 4% have one every day of the week!
With only 1 in 10 companies having implemented rules around eating on camera, Just Eat for Business have partnered with etiquette expert Jo Bryant, to create the ‘How not to eat in a modern meeting: The new working lunch report’.
Bryant offered: “Many of us are still getting used to more flexible working models and it’s clear that we still haven’t mastered the hybrid lunch. While being on camera is new for many of us, it is something that has become part of our working life, so it is important teams work together to make sure everyone is comfortable, especially over lunch when we’re meant to be bonding as a team.”
Her golden rules for a stress free lunch are:
- Food chain. When arranging a get together over food, people need guidance on what to expect. Clear communication from bosses or organisers will make people feel at ease and make things run more smoothly.
- Food for thought. Before you plan a remote on-screen team lunch, think about whether it is the right thing for everyone. Try choosing a day when there are fewer meetings, or ask what works best for everyone before setting a time.
- Feast or famine. Hosts need to help people feel at ease by setting the pace and taking the lead (for example, “Shall we start?”) Don’t be too slow or too fast – try to finish eating at roughly the same time as everyone else.
- Ready and waiting. When you are eating with colleagues remotely, it is essential to be organised. Make sure you order or prepare your food in good time, and have everything ready before you hit ‘Join’ (don’t forget cutlery).
- Model behaviour. Eating on camera, while not getting distracted and watching yourself, is a tricky business. Bring your tidiest table manners and choose something easy to eat – this isn’t the time to be slurping noodles or battling with a messy burger.
- Noises off. When eating on-screen, hit mute before you start munching; it’s also a good idea to turn on the noise cancellation feature. For group on-screen dining, ‘gallery view’ is most social and flattering – ‘active speaker view’ may accidentally enlarge someone on screen if they chew or crunch loudly.
- In plain sight. It may be tempting to switch off your camera when you eat, but it’s best to consider the context and company first. If you are grabbing a working lunch with colleagues, then it’s probably fine to switch off and tuck in. For smaller, more personal meetings or special get-togethers, it may be more polite to stay on camera and eat, or delay eating until afterwards.
