December 13, 2007
What goes on during lunch besides eating?
Who you lunch with and where you lunch pretty much measure your popularity, your choice of company, and where you would like to be in the corporate ladder.
Many companies promote open communication. But whether it is emphasized in the corporate culture or not, it is just impossible to not over-communicate in the midst of a barrage of emails, voice mailboxes, and instant messages that connect us to the rest of the organization.
The idea that face-to-face communication will become a thing of the past has become a cliche. Perhaps one day will come when the only face you’re talking to is the avatar of your IM buddy. In the “always on” age of electronic messaging, it is often easier to talk to the person on the other node of the network because you don’t really need to deal with his non-verbal cues. All you need to do is send the message and that is much about it. Unfortunately, it is also true that it does not always work.
There is one thing that remains sacred in the communication culture, no matter how employees deny it, because it offers a lot of opportunities to get ahead or at least stay out of trouble: the lunch hour. Who you lunch with and where you lunch pretty much measure your popularity, your choice of company, and where you would like to be in the corporate ladder.
Lunchtime is when workers usually let their guards down to enjoy food and talk about the story of the day. Some companies encourage such breaks to allow employees to exchange ideas. Of course, it surely is better to talk over your favorite entree than discuss solutions over seemingly unworkable issues within the confines of your cubicle while worrying that other co-workers might actually be listening to your conversation instead of firing away emails.
On the flip side, you just can’t--shouldn’t--let your guards down too much. Lunch talks sometimes devolve into gabfests over issues that you don’t really need to concern yourself with, say, co-workers’ personal lives. Sometimes, they volunteer stories and sometimes they don’t, which is perfectly reasonable.
There is a limit to what you can divulge even to your closest co-workers. Household tips and funny stories that happened over the weekend while you are mowing the lawn might be acceptable, yet too much of what your spouse does may cause your colleagues to cringe secretly. Those you share stories with might look interested, but you never know when you are actually being sized up (or down) or stamped with the imaginary “L” word on your forehead.
Oh, and let’s not forget about trade secrets. They say that she who holds information holds power. So don’t tell the world--nah, even your closest friends at work--just about any factoid that you have about your work, your boss, and most especially your client at the first instance. Lest you lose power, of course.
To get ahead, you need to be able to work around office politics. And office politics is often about being perceived as nice and competent. Unfortunately, competence does not include blabbering your thoughts away.
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