My coworkers made a shared document to track everyone's lunch break times.
By @liamforsure · Work
Someone on my team created a shared spreadsheet for everyone to log when they leave for lunch and when they get back, down to the minute. They claim it's about 'transparency' and making it easier to schedule meetings, but it feels like micromanagement.
The full story
I work in a pretty standard office environment, and our lunch break has always been a casual one-hour affair. No one really punches a clock; you just go, and you come back. Last week, one of my coworkers, who is not a manager, announced in our team chat that they'd created a 'Lunch Tracker' spreadsheet for everyone's convenience. The document has columns for your name, time out, and time back. The person who made it says it's to help with coordinating afternoon tasks and knowing who is available. A few people immediately started using it, logging their 12:01 departure and 12:59 return like model employees. I haven't touched it. I think it's passive-aggressive and breeds a culture of distrust. If our manager had an issue with our break times, they would have said so. This feels like a coworker trying to police everyone else and look good. Now, there's a clear divide between the people who are diligently logging their times and those of us who are ignoring it. The atmosphere is getting a little tense, and the people using it are starting to make little comments about 'accountability.'
How people voted
- Side A — 38% (15 votes)
- Both — 38% (15 votes)
- Side B — 23% (9 votes)
Readers are split: “Side A” leads with 38% — 39 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@tesstbh — Ugh, what a stressful situation. It's totally reasonable to feel micromanaged by that.
@violetkinda — We had a guy do this at my old job for the coffee fund. He lasted maybe three more months before everyone hated him and he quit.
@nia — Just use the sheet.
@vincetbh — log that you took a 3 hour lunch every day and see what happens
@zaneyk — This is a classic case of performative productivity and it's making the office toxic.
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