“It’s my lunchtime.” — Anonymous

In the past, I remember booking meetings over the lunch hour. What choice did I have, though, given my calendar was otherwise full?

At least, that was the story I told myself.

As a result, people, including myself, would pick up our lunch from the cafeteria while running between meetings.

The real problem is that people didn’t have any downtime, and meetings never started on time.

All of this would only impact people’s stress, creativity, and focus.

Lunchtime is an opportunity for people to disconnect for a while. Think of it as personal time. It’s a time to be alone, have lunch with colleagues and friends, or recharge themselves.

Stop expecting people to give up their personal time. After all, would you expect them not to take a vacation? If you would, then maybe it’s time to re-examine your priorities.

You’ve got this.