Workplace etiquette

[djfunkshun]

Ok so my wife just took a job as a director at her workplace and wants to know if she can eat lunch with the people that last week were her coworkers. As the lone systems employee where I work I am not sure. Any body have any help on this?

[Silas (son of Silas)]

Ok so my wife just took a job as a director at her workplace and wants to know if she can eat lunch with the people that last week were her coworkers. As the lone systems employee where I work I am not sure. Any body have any help on this?

In most places I have worked, the directors who last longest and are the one's who talk to the people lower in the pecking order. I had a coffee with one of our directors yesterday as a matter of fact.

[gnateye]

if she is worried, she should talk to her HR dept about it, different paces deal differently with management/worker relations....

at my offices its acceptable to upper management and the worker bees to goto lunch and whatever as long as everyone remembers to be on their best behavior and not violate any HR rules whether you are at he office or off site....

hope that helps

[J_K_M_A_N]

I would think if she doesn't eat with them they may take it the wrong way. Like she is now too good for them.

J_K_M_A_N

[RayB]

I would think if she doesn't eat with them they may take it the wrong way. Like she is now too good for them.

J_K_M_A_N

Exactly! She's still a human like the rest of them right?

[ark_ader]

Management and workers have no common ground. Never did, and never will.

If the newly appointed Director wants to eat with the grunts/subordinates fine, but I think tears will follow on both sides, especially if the subordinates are buying the lunches. 

[djfunkshun]

Well I am pretty sure they would all pay for their own meals. As long as she doesn't pay seems like it would be alright.

[AtomSmasher]

I go to lunch with upper management and even the owner of the company relatively often, although this company is not like most, so you probably should just ignore me.

[Malenko]

I dont see a problem with it.

[eds1275]

She better do it before the rumours start flying that she's too cool for her old crew.

[daywane]

eat with them.
I eat with my boss and there boss often, we just do not talk about work. many times my boss will try and say after lunch I need.... I stop him and just say. I am eating and off the clock. Hows the wife and kids?

[CheffoJeffo]

Strange ... I was initially baffled by the question, then I see responses like ark's. Seems awfully 1970s to me.

When I was a grunt, I often ate with management. When I was management, I always tried to eat with the folks who worked for me. Now I'll eat with any employee or client that I have the opportunity to.

[drventure]

It's not anything. Keep the topics of conversation appropriate (work is fine, but gossip, complaining, bitching about other coworkers etc, definitely isn't) and it's no big deal.

Talk projects, talk customers, etc and she'll be fine.

It's also fine to shrug off lunch, sometimes. Do it wrong or too much though, and she'll come off and "better than thou" and that won't help any office situations at all.

The thing I always keep in mind, is that if you're in a typical 9-5 or worse office situation, you're spending as much if not more time with those people than you are with your family or friends. If you make it adversarial, work will just end up sucking more than it already does<g>

[Silas (son of Silas)]

I don't go to work to make friends, and if I'm sitting around eating with a coworker, I feel like I'm enduring uncompensated time on the clock.  I also don't eat out a lot on weekdays, and don't really feel obliged to spend $9 on a salad in the middle of the week.

 

I completely agree. Any time I have ever let my guard down at work it has come back to bite me. When I was younger, colleagues that I considered friends have repeatedly stabbed me in the back for the sake of promotion.

Damn right on the cost too. Why the heck would I pay 10 bucks for some dog chow that I wouldn't eat anyway, just to spend time with people I only spend time with because I am paid to.

[CCM]

I don't go to work to make friends, and if I'm sitting around eating with a coworker, I feel like I'm enduring uncompensated time on the clock.  I also don't eat out a lot on weekdays, and don't really feel obliged to spend $9 on a salad in the middle of the week.

 

I completely agree. Any time I have ever let my guard down at work it has come back to bite me. When I was younger, colleagues that I considered friends have repeatedly stabbed me in the back for the sake of promotion.

Damn right on the cost too. Why the heck would I pay 10 bucks for some dog chow that I wouldn't eat anyway, just to spend time with people I only spend time with because I am paid to.

Wow!  You two must be a joy to work with... sheesh

[Silas (son of Silas)]

I don't go to work to make friends, and if I'm sitting around eating with a coworker, I feel like I'm enduring uncompensated time on the clock.  I also don't eat out a lot on weekdays, and don't really feel obliged to spend $9 on a salad in the middle of the week.

 

I completely agree. Any time I have ever let my guard down at work it has come back to bite me. When I was younger, colleagues that I considered friends have repeatedly stabbed me in the back for the sake of promotion.

Damn right on the cost too. Why the heck would I pay 10 bucks for some dog chow that I wouldn't eat anyway, just to spend time with people I only spend time with because I am paid to.

Wow!  You two must be a joy to work with... sheesh

No, just professional and polite. I doubt anyone would describe me as being a joy to work with, but I am well liked within the office and get on well with most people. I just don't cross the line into socializing with colleagues because we see each other all day every day.

[AtomSmasher]

No, just professional and polite. I doubt anyone would describe me as being a joy to work with, but I am well liked within the office and get on well with most people. I just don't cross the line into socializing with colleagues because we see each other all day every day.

I work in a place where people enjoy socializing with each other, although that might be because most of us share common interests.  Every Friday night in the office is game night where a bunch of people stay late, hang out, drink, and play various games (board, video, tabletop), and occasionally there are events where people stay late 2-3 times a week and come in all day Saturday for an entire month (such as Mega-May where we play through every single Mega-Man game).  

Our work generally takes place at our desks, so even though we're in the same building, or even same room, we often don't really see each other much all day.

[RayB]

No, just professional and polite. I doubt anyone would describe me as being a joy to work with, but I am well liked within the office and get on well with most people. I just don't cross the line into socializing with colleagues because we see each other all day every day.

Heh. Let me guess, IT dept ?

[Silas (son of Silas)]

No, just professional and polite. I doubt anyone would describe me as being a joy to work with, but I am well liked within the office and get on well with most people. I just don't cross the line into socializing with colleagues because we see each other all day every day.

Heh. Let me guess, IT dept ?

For most of my working life, yes. Currently it's worse.... The networks division of a telecoms company. I have zero in common with any of the people I work with. - Actually that's not entirely true. I do have a very good friend at work, bu I knew him for 10 years prior to working with him.

I start a new job on the 13th of September at Deutsche Bank. It seems like a very different environment to the one's I have worked in previously. I have a couple of friends who already work there and they say it's a really nice place to work and everyone seems to get on really well. One of the main reasons for changing jobs actually.

[Mikezilla]

Jesus Ard, first the economy post, then this. What do you do? Run a sweat shop in Calcutta or something? Anyway, as being on both sides of the situation, I liked when my managers used to eat with us, and now being a manager, I like to eat with them. Sticking to appropriate conversation is key, but relate to them a little bit. Especially if its in a sales driven enviornment. You dont want to work with some clown who thinks he is better than you. Oh, and tell her to not get drunk in front of them, thats never good...

[daywane]

I don't go to work to make friends, and if I'm sitting around eating with a coworker, I feel like I'm enduring uncompensated time on the clock.  I also don't eat out a lot on weekdays, and don't really feel obliged to spend $9 on a salad in the middle of the week.

 

you two sound like my boss. (very hard person to like) we were in a heated debate and he said " I do not come to work to make friends" I said "you are doing a damn good job at it also"

I completely agree. Any time I have ever let my guard down at work it has come back to bite me. When I was younger, colleagues that I considered friends have repeatedly stabbed me in the back for the sake of promotion.

Damn right on the cost too. Why the heck would I pay 10 bucks for some dog chow that I wouldn't eat anyway, just to spend time with people I only spend time with because I am paid to.