People who go and sit in their car to eat their luncheon at work

rubberduck said:
Every place I have ever worked I have noticed a small subculture of people who do this (almost exclusively men). I've always wondered why but have never found the right opportunity to bring it up with them. I am sure there will be someone in GD who does it so maybe you can let me know the thought process.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I had a job a while ago where I occasionally did this. Firstly my car was more comfortable, secondly I could listen to what I wanted on the radio or peacefully read a book, and last but by no means least, many of the people I worked with were ***** and I sometimes just couldn't be bothered putting up with the office 'drama'.
 
As a few others have mentioned, when I do this it's because I need a break from noise / other people.

Just somewhere to listen to music, enjoy my food and occasionally enjoy the sunshine too.
 
I always go out for lunch anyway so I'll usually sit and eat in the car park of wherever I've gone, the 30 minutes away from the screen and making full use of the break allows me to go back in with a somewhat sound mind.
 
Nothing wrong with it, some people are not sociable people, and even if you are, it can be nice just to get alone time for a bit, especially if also at home you cant have alone time due to family etc.
 
I sometimes just go for a walk at lunchtime irrespective of the weather, just to clear my head and get some time away from the desk. There's also the issue of even if you are in the building you are still "at work" and can still be asked questions etc - especially the case for those in support roles like IT.
 
As quite an introverted person, I find being around people gets more stressful over time sorta like a pressure building. I used to go for a drive to a quiet car park away from work during my lunch break (as my job involved a lot of travel between sites this was quite easy). It used to help me quite a lot before going back to whatever chaos was occurring.

I now work in a very quiet office so don't feel the need to do this as much but still go for a wander every now and then just to get a breather.
 
I go out for a walk every lunchtime, sometimes with a purpose, other times just to get out of the office and have a bit of me time. If I was in the middle of nowhere I might well choose to sit in the car instead. It's not antisocial, I socialise during work hours, it's just about getting a bit of time to reset.
 
I do this occasionally. I enjoy the peace and quiet. I often use it as time to listen to a podcast or do some guided mindfulness meditation. Can sometimes use it have a little nap, too, if I've been up with the kids the night before. As someone else said, apart from taking 20 minute dumps at the weekend, peace and quiet is sometimes hard to come by. If I do spend lunch in the car though, I find somewhere offsite or a very quiet corner of the massive carpark to do it in. Can't be doing with utter jeb-ends tapping on the window and grinning.

What I can't get my head around is people who get upset and think it's weird that you aren't sitting having lunch with them in the break-out area as if 8 hours a day isn't sufficient time to be spent together.

On another note, my mate's colleague (engineering draftsman) kept a sleeping bag under his desk in an open office and he would take naps on the floor at lunch, under his desk. When sitting, his back was to the wall, so it was quite a hidden spot. This was already weird and raised a few eyebrows, but my mate and his other colleagues decided to properly investigate this guy's "nest" one day and found pictures of lovely ladies from FHM stuck to the panel at the back of the desk where your feet go. Needless to say, office lunch sleeping was banned afterward.
 
Going to the car for lunch or even a nap, just some time alone is great for my mental health. Without it I get jaded and generally become less productive.

If I feel like taking a walk though I'll do that instead. Alone of course.
 
I just sit and watch Youtube with my noise cancelling headphones on, I don't mind a bit of light conversation on lunch but I won't disturb anyone. Never seen anyone go to the extremes of sitting in their car where I work, but we're basically in the city center anyway so you could just go for a walk or whatever. I would suggest if you feel like you mentally need to get away from your job that badly that you isolate yourself on your lunch then you might want to consider finding a place to work
 
Roar87 said:
Never seen anyone go to the extremes of sitting in their car where I work
Click to expand...

It's hardly an extreme.

Roar87 said:
I would suggest if you feel like you mentally need to get away from your job that badly that you isolate yourself on your lunch then you might want to consider finding a place to work
Click to expand...

It depends why you're going out. As I mentioned above, I didn't like the people, or types of people I worked with in retail, so I liked getting away from them (indeed, the majority of the working day was dealing with customers, most of whom I enjoyed talking to and being around, it was the often harsh and bully mentality of colleagues and managers which I was trying to escape from).

Similarly, some people get near zero alone time. I know my commute is sometimes a great time for me and my mental health. Full time jobs coupled with a family life, a social life, having time for your own things means these little pockets of the day where you don't have to please anyone can be hugely beneficial.

Certainly nothing wrong with you if you want to get away for a bit. Introversion is a very real thing, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom