Things You Need to Know

Business Etiquette

Lunch on the Run

February 19, 2007

Seems the once popular three martini lunch is now a thing of the past. According to a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation for Steelcase, an office furniture manufacturer, more than half of workers surveyed take just 31 minutes for lunch. And that time is rarely spent eating. Instead, workers report running errands, reading or making personal calls.

Does that mean workers are skipping lunch altogether? I doubt it. More likely, workers are eating at their desks while they work. There are rules of etiquette for this type of business lunch, too. Consider these:

Avoid bringing foods that carry with them strong odors. Scents, both the good and the bad, may easily float from one cubicle to another. You don’t want to be responsible for smelling up an entire office.
Avoid foods that make noise when eaten. Those crispy chips may be delicious, but they may also disturb others’ thoughts and work.
Clean up after yourself. Avoid leaving opened wrappers and packages scattered over your work area. Similarly, clean out anything you have stored in the company refrigerator at the end of each week.
Avoid eating in front of clients and customers. Whenever clients appear for meetings, stash your lunch and finish it either in the office lunchroom or after the client leaves.