7 ms·

>Sleeping on the job is one of those workplace taboos — like leaving your desk for lunch What kind of company is it a taboo to leave your desk for lunch?

deepGem 9y ago
Trading desks at financial services firms.
spiderfarmer 9y ago
My question as well. Is this really a thing in the US?
- cylinder 9y ago
  Yes pretty much. In NYC especially everyone goes out, grabs lunch and brings it back to eat at their desks.
bcoughlan 9y ago
Here's a quote from a "day in the life" sheet I was sent after a phone interview with Susquehanna. I didn't continue with the job interview for this very reason: "SIG partners with external caterers to provide a buffet lunch of main courses, salads, soup, and dessert, and it changes on daily basis. So you grab a plate and head back to your desk to eat; it will give you some time to catch up on the latest tech and market news on the net as you eat."
- icebraining 9y ago
  Holy crap. And they can actually recruit?
- koonsolo 9y ago
  Nerds don't need social interaction during lunch time right? They probably forgot "So you grab a plate and head back to the basement to eat at your desk."
- noway421 9y ago
  Yeah, "lunch time, finally can get on and catch up with hackernews!"
  - a012 9y ago
    Hey, I actually do that while eating my lunch. usually with reddit or HN on my phone.
- mpfundstein 9y ago
  software improvement group?
  - avemg 9y ago
    Susquehanna International Group. https://sig.com/ https://sig.com/
  - MichielCuijpers 9y ago
    Software Improvement Group (SIG) = https://www.sig.eu https://www.sig.eu
    - mpfundstein 9y ago
      yes. that is why I asked. I had good experience with the Software Improvement Group and can't recall such tyranny.
- arethuza 9y ago
  "catch up on the latest tech and market news on the net as you eat" That probably does describe a lot of my lunches. However, that is my choice. If an employer explicitly expected me to spend my lunches doing that I'd soon be an ex-employee.
- nolepointer 9y ago
  But is this time paid? Because I can see the downside to this, but I'm also thinking, well, at least I can go home an hour earlier.
  - Lord_Zero 9y ago
    Either that or eating there is just optional? It doesn't seem to explicitly say you have to eat their food and stay at work. Plus a lot of people do strange diets now days or have all sorts of allergies. It sounds to me from the last sentence is "we provide food, so if you want to stay here and eat at your desk you can."
- ocfnash 9y ago
  I work at Susquehanna and I believe you may have incorrectly understood this to imply there is a pressure to stay at one's desk over lunch. In my experience, this is not at all the case and I head out over lunch fairly frequently.
speedplane 9y ago
I remember I went for a job interview at a law firm, and one of the more junior people interviewing me brought me out to lunch. It was freezing outside, but he left his jacket in his office. I asked him why he left it there, and he said it was so others would think he was in the office. I'm pretty sure I didn't get that job, but I'm glad for it.
3chelon 9y ago
The same kind of company where they still "write memos."
booleandilemma 9y ago
My company does this thing where all of the people in IT go out to get food together in sync, and then bring it back and eat in the conference room like it's a cafeteria and like they're back in school. I'm the only person who leaves the office during my lunch hour, alone. I get funny looks, and my coworkers sometimes ask me "where have you been?" It's a weird company culture and I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to put up with it.
- Lord_Zero 9y ago
  Wat. What kind of an adult doesn't have stuff to do on lunch? I usually do some of these: work out, get my dry cleaning, run home to grab packages, make lunch, take a nap, shower real quick after a work out, go to the dentist, etc. If I was purely locked in to 45 hours a week with my coworkers id be job hunting.
  - maaaats 9y ago
    What about adults having shorter hours? Standard work-week in my country is 37.5 hours. If I were so cramped on time that I had to stress to get shit done in the middle of my job-day I'd be job hunting.
    - Lord_Zero 9y ago
      Good luck job hunting for a job like that in the US. Here standard vacation is 1-2 weeks per year and getting your 8 hours in between 8am and 5pm is also the norm. Sadly we don't have the luxury of having such flexible hours and large vacation packages as is standard in foreign countries.
  - drdeadringer 9y ago
    I am a kind of an adult who doesn't have stuff to do on lunch. Not only am I eating lunch, but I plan activities like what you mention to times outside of work. At most I'll add in a visit to the post office. If I have to cash a cheque, that's a Saturday morning.
- jimbokun 9y ago
notlowell 9y ago
Yes, a coworker was recently fired and the final straw was sleeping at his desk. He had a long list of other problems though and I'm sure if sleeping was the only one, he'd still be here.
bitsoda 9y ago
Right? The smell alone isn't fair to other coworkers.
imgabe 9y ago
I thought the same thing, along with the afternoon walk. I've always gone out for walks since my first job in the city where there's actually somewhere to walk. Nobody's ever said anything or complained about it. A job is not slavery, don't treat it like it is. Assume you're free to do as you like (while getting your work done) unless indicated otherwise.

deepGem 9y ago

Trading desks at financial services firms.

spiderfarmer 9y ago

My question as well. Is this really a thing in the US?

cylinder 9y ago
Yes pretty much. In NYC especially everyone goes out, grabs lunch and brings it back to eat at their desks.

bcoughlan 9y ago

Here's a quote from a "day in the life" sheet I was sent after a phone interview with Susquehanna. I didn't continue with the job interview for this very reason: "SIG partners with external caterers to provide a buffet lunch of main courses, salads, soup, and dessert, and it changes on daily basis. So you grab a plate and head back to your desk to eat; it will give you some time to catch up on the latest tech and market news on the net as you eat."

icebraining 9y ago
Holy crap. And they can actually recruit?
koonsolo 9y ago
Nerds don't need social interaction during lunch time right? They probably forgot "So you grab a plate and head back to the basement to eat at your desk."
noway421 9y ago
Yeah, "lunch time, finally can get on and catch up with hackernews!"
- a012 9y ago
  Hey, I actually do that while eating my lunch. usually with reddit or HN on my phone.
mpfundstein 9y ago
software improvement group?
- avemg 9y ago
  Susquehanna International Group. https://sig.com/ https://sig.com/
- MichielCuijpers 9y ago
  Software Improvement Group (SIG) = https://www.sig.eu https://www.sig.eu
  - mpfundstein 9y ago
    yes. that is why I asked. I had good experience with the Software Improvement Group and can't recall such tyranny.
arethuza 9y ago
"catch up on the latest tech and market news on the net as you eat" That probably does describe a lot of my lunches. However, that is my choice. If an employer explicitly expected me to spend my lunches doing that I'd soon be an ex-employee.
nolepointer 9y ago
But is this time paid? Because I can see the downside to this, but I'm also thinking, well, at least I can go home an hour earlier.
- Lord_Zero 9y ago
  Either that or eating there is just optional? It doesn't seem to explicitly say you have to eat their food and stay at work. Plus a lot of people do strange diets now days or have all sorts of allergies. It sounds to me from the last sentence is "we provide food, so if you want to stay here and eat at your desk you can."
ocfnash 9y ago
I work at Susquehanna and I believe you may have incorrectly understood this to imply there is a pressure to stay at one's desk over lunch. In my experience, this is not at all the case and I head out over lunch fairly frequently.

speedplane 9y ago

I remember I went for a job interview at a law firm, and one of the more junior people interviewing me brought me out to lunch. It was freezing outside, but he left his jacket in his office. I asked him why he left it there, and he said it was so others would think he was in the office. I'm pretty sure I didn't get that job, but I'm glad for it.

3chelon 9y ago

The same kind of company where they still "write memos."

booleandilemma 9y ago

My company does this thing where all of the people in IT go out to get food together in sync, and then bring it back and eat in the conference room like it's a cafeteria and like they're back in school. I'm the only person who leaves the office during my lunch hour, alone. I get funny looks, and my coworkers sometimes ask me "where have you been?" It's a weird company culture and I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to put up with it.

Lord_Zero 9y ago
Wat. What kind of an adult doesn't have stuff to do on lunch? I usually do some of these: work out, get my dry cleaning, run home to grab packages, make lunch, take a nap, shower real quick after a work out, go to the dentist, etc. If I was purely locked in to 45 hours a week with my coworkers id be job hunting.
- maaaats 9y ago
  What about adults having shorter hours? Standard work-week in my country is 37.5 hours. If I were so cramped on time that I had to stress to get shit done in the middle of my job-day I'd be job hunting.
  - Lord_Zero 9y ago
    Good luck job hunting for a job like that in the US. Here standard vacation is 1-2 weeks per year and getting your 8 hours in between 8am and 5pm is also the norm. Sadly we don't have the luxury of having such flexible hours and large vacation packages as is standard in foreign countries.
- drdeadringer 9y ago
  I am a kind of an adult who doesn't have stuff to do on lunch. Not only am I eating lunch, but I plan activities like what you mention to times outside of work. At most I'll add in a visit to the post office. If I have to cash a cheque, that's a Saturday morning.
jimbokun 9y ago

notlowell 9y ago

Yes, a coworker was recently fired and the final straw was sleeping at his desk. He had a long list of other problems though and I'm sure if sleeping was the only one, he'd still be here.

bitsoda 9y ago

Right? The smell alone isn't fair to other coworkers.

imgabe 9y ago

I thought the same thing, along with the afternoon walk. I've always gone out for walks since my first job in the city where there's actually somewhere to walk. Nobody's ever said anything or complained about it. A job is not slavery, don't treat it like it is. Assume you're free to do as you like (while getting your work done) unless indicated otherwise.