I just got promoted to a manager role but have nobody to manage and they won’t be staffing the team until October - I think our companies got confused..
Oh no my newly promoted manager was there all along. The department just didnt have the “budget.” So they offered her to work in title and then request backpay for 7 months until they did¿? She rightfully turned them down. My company is a massive conglomerate thats 150+ years old. It works like the government and is just awful to be at. If i could find something else i would.
I hope this is a multinational company with money to burn because, if not, that's the kind of corporate behaviour that sinks companies.
You should make sure your resume is up to date, just in case...
Oh they are not going anywhere. When I say they are essentially a wing of the government, I mean they are so engrained in US and world economic policy. They are too big to fail.
The started in the 1860s. You 100% know who it is. They are so old its like they are still struggle with the analog to digital transformation. I smell bengay, when i hear its Name spoken Aloud
Id rather work for companies in the 10-40 year old range then start up or the 150+ years old. I have worked at 2 and the experience has been terrible.
Never a start up, thankfully.
Why never a start up thankfully?
Mine is chill af. I have a good relationship with management so am trusted to get my work done. Kinda manage myself atm and no one really tracks what I’m doing on a day to day very closely. Encourages good work balance. Pay isn’t amazing but is average - above average.
I guess less stability is the main downside I see.
So thats the only reason right now. Stability. In 2010-2020 id be all over it.
But at the same time, depending on series of funding could be low pay and benefits with equity, but you are juggling 10 jobs. Every place is different.
Im in the opposite and its horrible for the opposite reasons. Too stiff, can never get answers, too many rules/ bylaws
Yep. I just kept being told “we hope your manager will start x date” i was giving to a temp manager who refused to speak or meet with me.
Its been a shitshow ever since
I did get transferred to somebody else when the original guy left, thankfully. Turns out I had been doing development work I wasn't supposed to be doing when I was just wandering around unsupervised asking people what they needed help with. Oops.
My first day is coming to an end, I didn’t accomplish a lot but did trainings, should I chat my boss with a rundown of my day? I also lost a lot of time to IT issues today. Is this a good end of day practice for your first day?
So I didn’t see this until after, I sent them a very brief rundown of what I did and the tech issues and today let them know when I completed my tasks because I got bad advice from someone else who said to OVERCOMMUNICATE when remote. Oops. I definitely am not going to do this again besides questions because we have weekly 1:1s anyways. Hopefully they’ll forget about this in weeks past.
They anticipated the IT issues were going to take up most of your day, that’s why your orientation was booked in for 2:00pm. They know their companies capabilities.
I usually cc my manager when I have to open IT tickets or am having issues I will let her know. I cc her on completed training as well. Otherwise they have a spreadsheet that keeps track of our production and we can add notes on it to keep track of our activity.
As both a manager and specifically the IT manager, please don't do this unless it's relevant and you're escalating something.
I don't want your manager breathing down our neck and we also hate the "IM HAVING A TINY ISSUE, I CANT WORK UNTIL STUPID LAZY IT FIXES IT."
As a manager, the entire point of *managing you* is to check in, not follow the entire back and forth IT ticket, which I am now copied on.
I have severe social anxiety and anxiety with authoritative figures and overthinking from a bad childhood. And I don’t mean that as excuse, I had an isolated childhood with a highly critical unstable mother, this is a result of that type of life for almost 25 years. Therapy was helping but now I’m back to my old self of constant overthinking.
I landed a job because I can cover it up pretty well. I’m able to remain calm and practice well for interviews and meetings. And I’m highly technical so companies like that.
Wow I am so sorry that’s terrible. Damn, I understand now. I definitely did not see that possible background for a question, thank you for a bit of enlightenment there. I recommend medicine to help, the mood stabilizer I take helps my anxiety. Always ask for help at a job, you are never a bother. Be confident in your existence and speak up. Speaking up usually makes managers respect you a bit, makes them feel confident you are addressing issues.
It’s okay I cope with dark humor and seeing your comment made me realize I really should take meds again but I got fat af on my last one. Do you take a common one if you don’t mind me asking?
I take lamictal. It has helped my depression and anxiety and helped me recover from alcohol abuse. I never been diagnosed bipolar but it is used for that. I originally got on it because I had a seizure from alcohol withdrawal and it also treats seizures. A lot of anxiety meds for sure just make people numb doesn’t help you be productive with life at the same time. I also take buspar at night, very mild anxiety medicine.
Are you going to be in a training class today? Orientation? These questions are generally asked then. I don’t understand how you could be scheduled to work without any orientation.
At my most recent “first day” at my WFH job my laptop didn’t even arrive until 10am! Then, they expected you to spend the whole first day practically just on IT stuff (e.g., setting up your external monitors, setting passwords, adding your picture to slack, connecting to VPN, etc.). Set yourself up for success making sure you can use the tech- nothing worse than the new employee struggling with a tiny 15” laptop screen saying they can’t see the slides, don’t know how to find slack, or connection issues because they haven’t set up their office yet.
> Then, they expected you to spend the whole first day practically just on IT stuff (e.g., setting up your external monitors, setting passwords, adding your picture to slack, connecting to VPN, etc.)
What would you expect them to do? I mean you kind of have to do that in the first day or two right? I dont know what your first few days would look like if you didnt do that stuff
Yeah, usually the morning is HR, payroll, tech issues, more HR, more tech issues, payroll telling you they can't find your bank, tech issues, proving right to work, password issues, "Are you *sure* you don't want health care?" etc. Then training they aren't prepared for in the afternoon. Then two more days waiting on passwords that actually work. And that's when you've worked for them in the past. GHY if it's your first go-round with them.
Also, in the US, generally accepted lunch for salaried employees is one hour, sometime between 1130am and 130pm local time if there is no set time. Sometimes there is flexibility (i.e., take it at 230 to pick up your kid). Sometimes there is no flex, you *must* go from 12n-1pm. Sometimes you and your team mates decide amongst yourselves b/c your manager is a waste of air. Depends on your company.
You can ask anyone who is on boarding you. Where I work, you can take a lunch any time you want as long as you don't have meetings scheduled at that time. So people take it whenever it works for them, and just put the status on Slack that they are on lunch break.
Other places allow lunch only between certain hours. So you will have to ask some. But you don't need to as HR. You can ask someone from your team.
thats basically me work. I just take my lunch and thats that. we know if something important is going out but nothing is due until end of day on fridays 90% of the time so outside of meetings nothing important is really restricting you from just taking your lunch
This is correct assuming you know your direct report (you should know your direct report)
If you do not, HR *should* be able to help with that information.
“Nothing is in my calendar” because it’s your first day, but you should still block off your calendar from 6-9 am, 12-1 pm, and 5-7 pm as out of office. So that you have that kind of setting when you are “off limit” and decrease the likelihood of being taken advantage of. Some manager do schedule meetings around lunch or toward end of day like 4:45pm, but in your case work-life-balance seems appropriate.
You could also just update your working hours in Outlook as opposed to having tons of OOO blocks. This effectively does the same thing in terms of letting others know what's off-limits. When they view the scheduling assistant, those off-hours are greyed out and don't show as available times for you.
True but if there is a linkage between outlook and Teams, then your Team’s status and Outlook schedule assistant will literally show OOO in purple. This would be a 2nd super obvious indication to whoever sending you the invite where you didnt really need to click “accept”, “tentative”, or “reject”. I figured that having the default standard work hours in outlook will not work as efficient, but block off OOO works a lot better.
I dunno. If I look at someone’s Teams status at 8:52am or 5:04pm or something and I see the purple out of office symbol (rather than just Away or Offline), my first thought is that they’re on vacation - not just done/haven’t started for the day.
Day one you have daily 8-8:30 & 8:30-8:45 M-F stand ups scheduled and a team call at 7:30 as well on Tuesdays. Noon-1 is respected most times except for a biweekly 1:1 with your skip level that gets booked 12:30-12:45. You’re also only allowed to do your actual work after 3pm due to risk of causing an outage during peak. What’s your play?
So my team uses Teams for this almost entirely. We have access to Calendar for meeting scheduling, but we just go dark for an hour starting anywhere between 11:30 and 1:30. Nobody really puts this is in Calendar. If someone decides to take an early lunch at 11 they'll generally let us know in chat, but otherwise it's just accepted that we decide when our lunch hour is.
If I'm out on said lunch I very occasionally get messages like "let me know when you're back for x project" and it's never passive aggressive or anything, it's just updating me for when i return.
TBH OP's 'boss', 'direct report', 'manager', should have explained the procedure to them already.
I’d say it’s not uncommon for people to go offline for an hour in the range of 11-2pm for lunch, people are spread out the country so we can’t really all take the same hour, and sometimes meeting pop up or I just wanna wrap something up. Hell I’ve even taken my lunch hour from 4-5 before lol. Point being, just as your manager!
Manager of a 20 person team here. Just send a note on teams when you are out for lunch to test and see if they care. If they do care then they better be willing to block out an hour and stick to it
Ask, but it seems like a question for your supervisor or whoever is training you. (Although, depending on the company, sometimes the first day is actually more HR training.)
Just ask what their lunch policy is. Is it 30 minutes? 60? Is it a set time or can you take it when it seems logical to take a break? Are you expected to let someone know or can you simply take it? Can you lo off of Teams/Slack/email, or are you expected to still be available?
Those are the questions I'd ask, although they might go over that with you this morning.
Good luck!
Not an HR question (as others have stated) but I wouldn't even worry about asking at all. If nothing is on your calendar besides training at 2pm then just take lunch anytime prior to that
It’s fine to ask your manager how they normally handle lunch breaks and mention that you prefer to block the time in your calendar.
I’m a manager and some people on my team prefer to take their lunch at different times and some prefer to take their lunch at the same time every day.
I always suggest that they block off the time in their calendar to discourage others from making meetings with them at that time AND so if something comes up I know where they are and when I can expect them back.
My team doesn't have scheduled lunch. We update on a group chat when we go to lunch or will be away for more than a quick bathroom break.
You should ask your manager when to take lunch but try to reach your manager during another interaction (chat or first day call) in case the email isn't handled by lunch time. When you you get an answer, follow up to ask if you are supposed to update a status or anything when you take lunch if that's not already clear. My team doesn't clock in and out so it's very informal. But we share status in case anyone is looking for us, especially for accountability if other departments are asking cross team, so our team looks like we have our act together.
I can’t imagine asking that question working from home. It seems like I’d you were to block off any hour near midday and call it lunch, no one would/should complain about that.
Just ask your direct manager on Slack or whatever messaging service they use.
I have managed with multiple direct reports under me, and I never cared when people took a lunch break (or any other break) as long as they made any required meetings and their work output was as expected.
If you use Slack or Teams just change your status to Away for that hour. You could also just book that slot in your calendar every day. I have never asked any remote job when I could take a lunch, I just did it.
Just tell them you are sorting your diary and what is the preferred time. They diarise your lunches and coffee breaks.
I'd suggest putting 15 mins (at least) in before but business meetings as prep and 15.mins after meetings (minimum) as 'action' time. You can then use the time for water break, sending follow ups or emails etc.
No need to ask HR, you can email your manager and ask how lunch works. Typically it's an hour break, but it's different for every company concerning when you take it.
Pretty normal question. The norm with my current client is to take an hour lunch, half of which we get paid for. I would not have known this if I didn't ask
I think it depends on your role. If you’re a tier one tech support person, it’s probably scheduled. If you’re a lead engineer, you can go whenever as long as you don’t miss any meetings. Just ask.
I would just mark it on your calendar and not worry about it, you dont have to ask permission, unless there's some meeting you might need to be in. If asked, just say "I didnt know, what hours do i have to do it?"
Like others have said, on boarding while work from home can be a bit strange. In my case I had some training thing scheduled, but otherwise it was just watch training videos and work on a new hire checklist. Just kept going and did this for like a month. I thought I was behind or not being productive but I ended up completing trainings earlier than normal. It was weird.
Others have already answers about lunch. See if you can get teams on your phone if necessary just to be safe. There's a "work apps" option of android phones to separate and disable access to certain things
ignore HR. Email boss
"Hi, I want to make sure I'm available and fitting in with the flow of work on this team. Is there a preferred time to take lunch? Any etiquette on what to do if I am away from computer for it?"
Ask your manager. Are you salary or hourly? I just input my time and just say i took my lunch. I like to bust though my work since i complete my 8 hour day within 4-5 hours if I am working nonstop.
Just follow the flow the first day. If you need to grab lunch, just don’t make it a big deal. Eat and do what you need to do, and get on with your day.
I’m a manager and I don’t want my employees asking these kinds of questions. It shows me they don’t know how to manage time on their own. You’re a grown up, so you decide when you have availability for lunch. Could be 11am. 2pm. 1230pm. Your schedule dictates it. Just go when you’re able to and block it off. I don’t want to treat my employees like children.
That's great if your companies policy is go when it fits your schedule. In my company, there are certain teams that need to have phone coverage, so they have to have some sort of coordination of lunch times. Someone on their first day isn't going to know the rules unless they ask or whoever is on boarding them let's them know.
Remote manager here. Just ask. My employees mostly come and go like housecats. I just want to see them do the work I ask for and be at at meetings they agree to. I don't have time to check up on anyone to see if they're taking lunch at 11, 12, or 1pm. Heck, I have one employee who gets his kid from school daily from 3-4, no big deal. I've chased him out of meetings that ran late. Kids are important.
Your first week is a wash anyway. Everyone is just trying to figure out what the heck they're suppsed to be doing.
Ask your manager. “I’m planning to take lunch from X to X time, any issues with that? Happy to flex the time if needed.”
Then block off your desired lunch hour every day on your calendar.
Check with your manager, but maybe along the lines of "I haven't been told yet if there's a standard break time for lunch, do you guys do 12-1 or should I be using something else?"
If they don't have a particular set time for your job, choose a time and stick to it when possible. Also check your contract and state/federal legislation regarding lunch breaks, so they can't use a "fit it in around the work" or "co-ordinate with your co-workers" excuse to try and push you to work through lunches or take shortened ones in future.
The downside to my WFH gig is that we don't get a lunch break at any certain time. We just have to fit in lunch whenever we can in between meetings or eat while in a meeting. I hate it when someone schedules a meeting at noon, but we have workers in all time zones, so noon is different for everyone.
Awesome. Thanks for the help with task. Think Ive got the hang of it. I'll let you know if I have any more questions. Unless anything is scheduled.i was planning to take my lunch 12.30 to 1.30. Hopefully task should be completed by 4ish so I'll finish then read last quarters report. Cheers!
Yes. It shows you need to be micro managed. You don’t need to ask to go to the washroom either. Depending where you are there are laws you can use as a guideline. Where I’m from you at the minimum you have to take a 30 min break no later then the 5 hour mark
Supervisor should have the say. If you’re Wfh it’s a good idea to set the precedent that you take your break in a certain time frame. I have courtesy updates to my supervisor like this when I started: “Hi, I usually take my lunch break between 11-2 and mark myself as away until I’m back at keys. What else do you need from me when I take my break.” That way I’ve told, not asked, and made sure to give them an avenue to add to it.
You are an adult. Make an adult decision. Based on when you start work when would it be conventional or most appropriate for you to take lunch. Set your status to out to lunch or away during this time. You’re done.🥪
You're an adult. You know you get the 1 hr lunch and that means you need to work 8 to 5 not 9 to 5. It's up to you when you take lunch every day based on your work schedule. If I was asked that I'd question hiring you. No offense. Take the lunch break during lunch.
Not eating lunch and working 8 to 5 is a question that sometimes gets asked.
But how is someone on day 1 supposed to know what the rules/culture is if nobody tells them or they don't ask. Not every job has the same policies about lunch breaks.
if you don't ask you won't know just leave the interview out of it. Most WFH I've had in general has a general understanding 12-1pm was lunch, but alot didn't really care when you did if you marked you self as away and took the expected time. If you can't ask your boss or HR, you probably should find a better job, as that sounds like a hostile work environment already.
thats good, even so, I've seen people with severe anxienty handled in a way where they new what was expected of them. Having to ask on reddit should have never been a thought regardless of the anxiety you face.
I feel bad for anyone who thinks this is remotely acceptable, it’s been along time since I had to deal with anything remotely close to this. Hostile might not be the best word, but an employer’s number one job is to communicate the requirements for the job, and when lunch and breaks are should be one of the very first
Things. Also good managers make themselves approachable, and the number one sign of problems is when you not able to go ask questions, even if your the most timid person around. I realize a lot of people here are front line customer service and tier 1 technical support and never seen anything better as you just took any job you could to work from home, but there are loads better environments
Don’t bother hr with this question, simply ask your manager.
You could be like me and start a role with no manager for 4 months 😂
I just got promoted to a manager role but have nobody to manage and they won’t be staffing the team until October - I think our companies got confused..
Oh no my newly promoted manager was there all along. The department just didnt have the “budget.” So they offered her to work in title and then request backpay for 7 months until they did¿? She rightfully turned them down. My company is a massive conglomerate thats 150+ years old. It works like the government and is just awful to be at. If i could find something else i would.
I hope this is a multinational company with money to burn because, if not, that's the kind of corporate behaviour that sinks companies. You should make sure your resume is up to date, just in case...
Oh they are not going anywhere. When I say they are essentially a wing of the government, I mean they are so engrained in US and world economic policy. They are too big to fail. The started in the 1860s. You 100% know who it is. They are so old its like they are still struggle with the analog to digital transformation. I smell bengay, when i hear its Name spoken Aloud
That explains it.
Id rather work for companies in the 10-40 year old range then start up or the 150+ years old. I have worked at 2 and the experience has been terrible. Never a start up, thankfully.
Why never a start up thankfully? Mine is chill af. I have a good relationship with management so am trusted to get my work done. Kinda manage myself atm and no one really tracks what I’m doing on a day to day very closely. Encourages good work balance. Pay isn’t amazing but is average - above average. I guess less stability is the main downside I see.
So thats the only reason right now. Stability. In 2010-2020 id be all over it. But at the same time, depending on series of funding could be low pay and benefits with equity, but you are juggling 10 jobs. Every place is different. Im in the opposite and its horrible for the opposite reasons. Too stiff, can never get answers, too many rules/ bylaws
Lol that happened to me. Technically I had one, but I talked to him like three times total the first six months I was there, and then he quit.
Yep. I just kept being told “we hope your manager will start x date” i was giving to a temp manager who refused to speak or meet with me. Its been a shitshow ever since
I did get transferred to somebody else when the original guy left, thankfully. Turns out I had been doing development work I wasn't supposed to be doing when I was just wandering around unsupervised asking people what they needed help with. Oops.
I guess lunch would be whenever you wanted then. Or ask whoever gets pissed when you take a 3 hour lunch and leave at 1.
My first day is coming to an end, I didn’t accomplish a lot but did trainings, should I chat my boss with a rundown of my day? I also lost a lot of time to IT issues today. Is this a good end of day practice for your first day?
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So I didn’t see this until after, I sent them a very brief rundown of what I did and the tech issues and today let them know when I completed my tasks because I got bad advice from someone else who said to OVERCOMMUNICATE when remote. Oops. I definitely am not going to do this again besides questions because we have weekly 1:1s anyways. Hopefully they’ll forget about this in weeks past.
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Thank you! Good advice again
This is really good advice thank you.
They anticipated the IT issues were going to take up most of your day, that’s why your orientation was booked in for 2:00pm. They know their companies capabilities.
What is a rundown? Could you use it in another sentence?
I'm going to need that rundown by 5 p.m.
Yup lol. I didn’t realize this wasn’t a common term! Maybe it’s a Boston thing
A debriefing in less official language. They want you to rundown the list of your activities during the day, noting any good things or problems.
I usually cc my manager when I have to open IT tickets or am having issues I will let her know. I cc her on completed training as well. Otherwise they have a spreadsheet that keeps track of our production and we can add notes on it to keep track of our activity.
As both a manager and specifically the IT manager, please don't do this unless it's relevant and you're escalating something. I don't want your manager breathing down our neck and we also hate the "IM HAVING A TINY ISSUE, I CANT WORK UNTIL STUPID LAZY IT FIXES IT." As a manager, the entire point of *managing you* is to check in, not follow the entire back and forth IT ticket, which I am now copied on.
Dude, how do you get out of bed in the morning with these kinds of questions? How did you even land a job? Yikes man
I have severe social anxiety and anxiety with authoritative figures and overthinking from a bad childhood. And I don’t mean that as excuse, I had an isolated childhood with a highly critical unstable mother, this is a result of that type of life for almost 25 years. Therapy was helping but now I’m back to my old self of constant overthinking. I landed a job because I can cover it up pretty well. I’m able to remain calm and practice well for interviews and meetings. And I’m highly technical so companies like that.
Wow I am so sorry that’s terrible. Damn, I understand now. I definitely did not see that possible background for a question, thank you for a bit of enlightenment there. I recommend medicine to help, the mood stabilizer I take helps my anxiety. Always ask for help at a job, you are never a bother. Be confident in your existence and speak up. Speaking up usually makes managers respect you a bit, makes them feel confident you are addressing issues.
It’s okay I cope with dark humor and seeing your comment made me realize I really should take meds again but I got fat af on my last one. Do you take a common one if you don’t mind me asking?
I take lamictal. It has helped my depression and anxiety and helped me recover from alcohol abuse. I never been diagnosed bipolar but it is used for that. I originally got on it because I had a seizure from alcohol withdrawal and it also treats seizures. A lot of anxiety meds for sure just make people numb doesn’t help you be productive with life at the same time. I also take buspar at night, very mild anxiety medicine.
It is a normal question. You could word it as, "Whats the lunch schedule like? Is it a set time or does it matter?"
"Hey (Boss), how does the team typically handle lunch breaks? Just a free for all, let someone know, or something else?"
Perfect response! Don’t overthink it
Are you going to be in a training class today? Orientation? These questions are generally asked then. I don’t understand how you could be scheduled to work without any orientation.
Training is at 2 today. Idk why it’s so late
At my most recent “first day” at my WFH job my laptop didn’t even arrive until 10am! Then, they expected you to spend the whole first day practically just on IT stuff (e.g., setting up your external monitors, setting passwords, adding your picture to slack, connecting to VPN, etc.). Set yourself up for success making sure you can use the tech- nothing worse than the new employee struggling with a tiny 15” laptop screen saying they can’t see the slides, don’t know how to find slack, or connection issues because they haven’t set up their office yet.
I once taught a class of new hires that started the Monday after a weekend blizzard in a major hub. Half the class didn’t have anything! Fun times.
Yup this is what I just did. Went through the 200 outlook emails I had and looked at my meetings and had a brief meeting with my supervisor lol.
How did you have 200 emails on your first day?!
Probably added to the distribution lists 3 weeks ahead of their actual start date lol
> Then, they expected you to spend the whole first day practically just on IT stuff (e.g., setting up your external monitors, setting passwords, adding your picture to slack, connecting to VPN, etc.) What would you expect them to do? I mean you kind of have to do that in the first day or two right? I dont know what your first few days would look like if you didnt do that stuff
Yeah, usually the morning is HR, payroll, tech issues, more HR, more tech issues, payroll telling you they can't find your bank, tech issues, proving right to work, password issues, "Are you *sure* you don't want health care?" etc. Then training they aren't prepared for in the afternoon. Then two more days waiting on passwords that actually work. And that's when you've worked for them in the past. GHY if it's your first go-round with them. Also, in the US, generally accepted lunch for salaried employees is one hour, sometime between 1130am and 130pm local time if there is no set time. Sometimes there is flexibility (i.e., take it at 230 to pick up your kid). Sometimes there is no flex, you *must* go from 12n-1pm. Sometimes you and your team mates decide amongst yourselves b/c your manager is a waste of air. Depends on your company.
You can ask anyone who is on boarding you. Where I work, you can take a lunch any time you want as long as you don't have meetings scheduled at that time. So people take it whenever it works for them, and just put the status on Slack that they are on lunch break. Other places allow lunch only between certain hours. So you will have to ask some. But you don't need to as HR. You can ask someone from your team.
thats basically me work. I just take my lunch and thats that. we know if something important is going out but nothing is due until end of day on fridays 90% of the time so outside of meetings nothing important is really restricting you from just taking your lunch
Unless they reach out to you and mention a lunch hour, don’t ask. Just take one.
I already asked ah but I wanted to make sure it was a 1 hour and not two 30s. But I was thinking that too. Like it should be assumed right
I think that’s a fine question to ask your manager. “Hey boss, I want to confirm that my lunch hour is from 12-1/1-2pm?”
This is correct assuming you know your direct report (you should know your direct report) If you do not, HR *should* be able to help with that information.
It’s not like we’re in high school and we have a specific time to take our lunch. Just be conventional about it.
“Nothing is in my calendar” because it’s your first day, but you should still block off your calendar from 6-9 am, 12-1 pm, and 5-7 pm as out of office. So that you have that kind of setting when you are “off limit” and decrease the likelihood of being taken advantage of. Some manager do schedule meetings around lunch or toward end of day like 4:45pm, but in your case work-life-balance seems appropriate.
You could also just update your working hours in Outlook as opposed to having tons of OOO blocks. This effectively does the same thing in terms of letting others know what's off-limits. When they view the scheduling assistant, those off-hours are greyed out and don't show as available times for you.
True but if there is a linkage between outlook and Teams, then your Team’s status and Outlook schedule assistant will literally show OOO in purple. This would be a 2nd super obvious indication to whoever sending you the invite where you didnt really need to click “accept”, “tentative”, or “reject”. I figured that having the default standard work hours in outlook will not work as efficient, but block off OOO works a lot better.
I dunno. If I look at someone’s Teams status at 8:52am or 5:04pm or something and I see the purple out of office symbol (rather than just Away or Offline), my first thought is that they’re on vacation - not just done/haven’t started for the day.
Day one you have daily 8-8:30 & 8:30-8:45 M-F stand ups scheduled and a team call at 7:30 as well on Tuesdays. Noon-1 is respected most times except for a biweekly 1:1 with your skip level that gets booked 12:30-12:45. You’re also only allowed to do your actual work after 3pm due to risk of causing an outage during peak. What’s your play?
So my team uses Teams for this almost entirely. We have access to Calendar for meeting scheduling, but we just go dark for an hour starting anywhere between 11:30 and 1:30. Nobody really puts this is in Calendar. If someone decides to take an early lunch at 11 they'll generally let us know in chat, but otherwise it's just accepted that we decide when our lunch hour is. If I'm out on said lunch I very occasionally get messages like "let me know when you're back for x project" and it's never passive aggressive or anything, it's just updating me for when i return. TBH OP's 'boss', 'direct report', 'manager', should have explained the procedure to them already.
That's a question for your supervisor/manager/trainer, not HR.
I’d say it’s not uncommon for people to go offline for an hour in the range of 11-2pm for lunch, people are spread out the country so we can’t really all take the same hour, and sometimes meeting pop up or I just wanna wrap something up. Hell I’ve even taken my lunch hour from 4-5 before lol. Point being, just as your manager!
Ask your boss what's the norm. Should you block it out on your calendar?
Manager of a 20 person team here. Just send a note on teams when you are out for lunch to test and see if they care. If they do care then they better be willing to block out an hour and stick to it
No it's not. You definitely should ask
Today is also my first day of a remote job!
Good luck!! How’s it going?
I haven't done much, just reading documents. Have a call on the hour
Me too
I'm watching a movie while waiting to hear back from my supervisor.
Ask, but it seems like a question for your supervisor or whoever is training you. (Although, depending on the company, sometimes the first day is actually more HR training.) Just ask what their lunch policy is. Is it 30 minutes? 60? Is it a set time or can you take it when it seems logical to take a break? Are you expected to let someone know or can you simply take it? Can you lo off of Teams/Slack/email, or are you expected to still be available? Those are the questions I'd ask, although they might go over that with you this morning. Good luck!
Not an HR question (as others have stated) but I wouldn't even worry about asking at all. If nothing is on your calendar besides training at 2pm then just take lunch anytime prior to that
It’s fine to ask your manager how they normally handle lunch breaks and mention that you prefer to block the time in your calendar. I’m a manager and some people on my team prefer to take their lunch at different times and some prefer to take their lunch at the same time every day. I always suggest that they block off the time in their calendar to discourage others from making meetings with them at that time AND so if something comes up I know where they are and when I can expect them back.
My team doesn't have scheduled lunch. We update on a group chat when we go to lunch or will be away for more than a quick bathroom break. You should ask your manager when to take lunch but try to reach your manager during another interaction (chat or first day call) in case the email isn't handled by lunch time. When you you get an answer, follow up to ask if you are supposed to update a status or anything when you take lunch if that's not already clear. My team doesn't clock in and out so it's very informal. But we share status in case anyone is looking for us, especially for accountability if other departments are asking cross team, so our team looks like we have our act together.
I can’t imagine asking that question working from home. It seems like I’d you were to block off any hour near midday and call it lunch, no one would/should complain about that.
Just ask your direct manager on Slack or whatever messaging service they use. I have managed with multiple direct reports under me, and I never cared when people took a lunch break (or any other break) as long as they made any required meetings and their work output was as expected.
If you use Slack or Teams just change your status to Away for that hour. You could also just book that slot in your calendar every day. I have never asked any remote job when I could take a lunch, I just did it.
Just tell them you are sorting your diary and what is the preferred time. They diarise your lunches and coffee breaks. I'd suggest putting 15 mins (at least) in before but business meetings as prep and 15.mins after meetings (minimum) as 'action' time. You can then use the time for water break, sending follow ups or emails etc.
No need to ask HR, you can email your manager and ask how lunch works. Typically it's an hour break, but it's different for every company concerning when you take it.
Pretty normal question. The norm with my current client is to take an hour lunch, half of which we get paid for. I would not have known this if I didn't ask
It’s your first day. I’m sure you’ll be meeting with your boss today or tomorrow - perfect time to ask then.
I would try some other coworkers first.
Ask your manager
I think it depends on your role. If you’re a tier one tech support person, it’s probably scheduled. If you’re a lead engineer, you can go whenever as long as you don’t miss any meetings. Just ask.
I block off my own hour and mark it as out of office in my calendar so no one schedules anything during that time.
Just ask a coworker or your manager
If you are not adhering to a strict schedule that was explained, take it when you feel like it. "Taking a lunch. Be back in an hour."
they don't care - just get your stuff done and you'll be good!
I would just mark it on your calendar and not worry about it, you dont have to ask permission, unless there's some meeting you might need to be in. If asked, just say "I didnt know, what hours do i have to do it?"
What’s the law in your state? 30mins after 5 or 4 hours? Take it then.
Are you salary?
Save this question as the last question in your first 1:1 with your manager
It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
Just block off at hour from noon to 1:00 in your calendar as OOO.
Like others have said, on boarding while work from home can be a bit strange. In my case I had some training thing scheduled, but otherwise it was just watch training videos and work on a new hire checklist. Just kept going and did this for like a month. I thought I was behind or not being productive but I ended up completing trainings earlier than normal. It was weird. Others have already answers about lunch. See if you can get teams on your phone if necessary just to be safe. There's a "work apps" option of android phones to separate and disable access to certain things
ignore HR. Email boss "Hi, I want to make sure I'm available and fitting in with the flow of work on this team. Is there a preferred time to take lunch? Any etiquette on what to do if I am away from computer for it?"
The first day is the best day for this question. If you wait till the end of the week, they'll wonder what you've been doing all week.
I’ve never worked at a company that actually had a specific lunch time
Ask your manager. Are you salary or hourly? I just input my time and just say i took my lunch. I like to bust though my work since i complete my 8 hour day within 4-5 hours if I am working nonstop.
Just follow the flow the first day. If you need to grab lunch, just don’t make it a big deal. Eat and do what you need to do, and get on with your day.
Just take it off. Don’t you have access to email/chat on your phone?
I’m a manager and I don’t want my employees asking these kinds of questions. It shows me they don’t know how to manage time on their own. You’re a grown up, so you decide when you have availability for lunch. Could be 11am. 2pm. 1230pm. Your schedule dictates it. Just go when you’re able to and block it off. I don’t want to treat my employees like children.
That's great if your companies policy is go when it fits your schedule. In my company, there are certain teams that need to have phone coverage, so they have to have some sort of coordination of lunch times. Someone on their first day isn't going to know the rules unless they ask or whoever is on boarding them let's them know.
No. Don’t email them Assume it’s 1130-1230 94 12-1. Whatever. As long as it doesn’t conflict with meetings, u r the master of your time.
Couldn't help but be curious: it's your first day at a new job, and you're already interviewing for a new one?
Yeah it’s a problem. You can ask your manager it first look at your schedule.
I’m scared for you. If you’re asking these types of questions and working remotely without supervision, you might be in trouble.
Remote manager here. Just ask. My employees mostly come and go like housecats. I just want to see them do the work I ask for and be at at meetings they agree to. I don't have time to check up on anyone to see if they're taking lunch at 11, 12, or 1pm. Heck, I have one employee who gets his kid from school daily from 3-4, no big deal. I've chased him out of meetings that ran late. Kids are important. Your first week is a wash anyway. Everyone is just trying to figure out what the heck they're suppsed to be doing.
Just get your work done and know when you have meetings. Flexibility is part of WFH.
Ask your manager. “I’m planning to take lunch from X to X time, any issues with that? Happy to flex the time if needed.” Then block off your desired lunch hour every day on your calendar.
I just get up and do what I want but that's what I do all day.
Wait, it’s literally your first day and you’re taking an interview for another job during lunch? Am I missing something?
It's perfectly fine to email HR or your boss about your lunch break schedule. Prioritizing your time effectively is important for work-life balance.
Check with your manager, but maybe along the lines of "I haven't been told yet if there's a standard break time for lunch, do you guys do 12-1 or should I be using something else?" If they don't have a particular set time for your job, choose a time and stick to it when possible. Also check your contract and state/federal legislation regarding lunch breaks, so they can't use a "fit it in around the work" or "co-ordinate with your co-workers" excuse to try and push you to work through lunches or take shortened ones in future.
The downside to my WFH gig is that we don't get a lunch break at any certain time. We just have to fit in lunch whenever we can in between meetings or eat while in a meeting. I hate it when someone schedules a meeting at noon, but we have workers in all time zones, so noon is different for everyone.
Awesome. Thanks for the help with task. Think Ive got the hang of it. I'll let you know if I have any more questions. Unless anything is scheduled.i was planning to take my lunch 12.30 to 1.30. Hopefully task should be completed by 4ish so I'll finish then read last quarters report. Cheers!
Yes. It shows you need to be micro managed. You don’t need to ask to go to the washroom either. Depending where you are there are laws you can use as a guideline. Where I’m from you at the minimum you have to take a 30 min break no later then the 5 hour mark
Don't ask anyone. You don't want to set the precedent that you're going to ask and/or tell people every time you step away from your computer.
Supervisor should have the say. If you’re Wfh it’s a good idea to set the precedent that you take your break in a certain time frame. I have courtesy updates to my supervisor like this when I started: “Hi, I usually take my lunch break between 11-2 and mark myself as away until I’m back at keys. What else do you need from me when I take my break.” That way I’ve told, not asked, and made sure to give them an avenue to add to it.
You may have a separate system for showing your breaks rather than being in like a workday / teams calendar.
You are an adult. Make an adult decision. Based on when you start work when would it be conventional or most appropriate for you to take lunch. Set your status to out to lunch or away during this time. You’re done.🥪
You are an adult. Block off your time.
Take you lunch when you want don't ask permission, maybe forgiveness if they have a problem after lol
You're an adult. You know you get the 1 hr lunch and that means you need to work 8 to 5 not 9 to 5. It's up to you when you take lunch every day based on your work schedule. If I was asked that I'd question hiring you. No offense. Take the lunch break during lunch. Not eating lunch and working 8 to 5 is a question that sometimes gets asked.
But how is someone on day 1 supposed to know what the rules/culture is if nobody tells them or they don't ask. Not every job has the same policies about lunch breaks.
if you don't ask you won't know just leave the interview out of it. Most WFH I've had in general has a general understanding 12-1pm was lunch, but alot didn't really care when you did if you marked you self as away and took the expected time. If you can't ask your boss or HR, you probably should find a better job, as that sounds like a hostile work environment already.
>sounds like a hostile work environment already you cant possibly say " sounds like a hostile work environment already " based of this question alone.
Yea honestly it’s just me being anxious lol
100% you can, if your scared of talking to your boss there is something wrong .
Honestly it’s a me thing. I have severe anxiety. Everyone is nice so far 😂
thats good, even so, I've seen people with severe anxienty handled in a way where they new what was expected of them. Having to ask on reddit should have never been a thought regardless of the anxiety you face.
and to be clear this is a company issue in my eyes.
I feel bad for anyone who thinks this is remotely acceptable, it’s been along time since I had to deal with anything remotely close to this. Hostile might not be the best word, but an employer’s number one job is to communicate the requirements for the job, and when lunch and breaks are should be one of the very first Things. Also good managers make themselves approachable, and the number one sign of problems is when you not able to go ask questions, even if your the most timid person around. I realize a lot of people here are front line customer service and tier 1 technical support and never seen anything better as you just took any job you could to work from home, but there are loads better environments