Work issue, lunch breaks, would you be annoyed?

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I think I know the answer to this. So for about 3-4 years now I've worked at my place in central London which has a gym/swimming pool over the road. I go swimming 2-3 times a week in my lunch break which is lovely. I tend to eat lunch around 12, then go out 2.30-3pm and back by 3.30-4pm. Obviously you can't eat your lunch then nip out for a swim straight after

We had a couple of incidents in the last year or so, on a new project where execs needed my assistance and they couldn't get hold of me. So my boss has now said I can't go out that late, and I need to go somewhere between 12-2.30pm as that's a more acceptable lunch time.

To be honest, it's highly annoying. As I'm in central London the pool is much quieter after 2pm, all the times I've been at lunchtime/after work at peak times it's almost unbearable. To the point where after 3-4 years solid swimming I'm thinking it's probably not worth it.

So, man up and deal with it I guess? First world problems?

 

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Could you swim at 12 and then have lunch after? Pool quiet enough then?

That's what I'm going to try today. I guess I should give it a go before getting annoyed.

Oh dear you are hard off some of us have 30 min lunch break and thats it lol.....suck it up

And I got woken up by two voicemails and a text to my personal phone from my other boss in the US this morning. You don't know the half of it

You stop for lunch, and then 90 minutes later you stop again and go out the office for an hour long swim? I'd be sacked!

No I bring in lunch and work through whilst eating it. Then go out for my hour later.

I'm just throwing in the US thing as the potential solution here

We deal a lot with LA so I'm always mindful of being back for 4pm. My direct manager is based there. But we help support a platform and the incidents that came up is because even though we pay the vendor for support I'm still the go-to guy/friendly face in the office for assistance (Usually user error)

 

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Swim before work?

lol ain't gonna happen. Morning person I am not!

If you worked with me and you managed to get away with that I'd be the one that was annoyed, totally fair.

Serious question - why? It's not like I tag my 1hr lunch onto the end of my day and just essentially leave early. I was coming back at 4pm and doing a boatload of work with LA until 6.30pm. I actually have a call at 7.30pm tonight, again first world problems. It's an easygoing office environment, nobody bats an eyelid if people rock up at 10am as long as they kinda make up the hours and don't take the mick. We're not clock-watchers, so I was surprised it came up.

Bringing my earlier suggestion up again, if it's core US hours you need to be available for, then can't you go for your swim at 11am and then have lunch when you return? You'll be online well before the US wakes up then.

It's a good idea, but my boss here is more concerned that I'm available to people in our office in London. He's aware that if his boss can't find me for help and all he's got is "he might be out at the gym -dunno-) then it looks bad on him. I guess...

Only playing around here, I don't mean to be critical, just having some fun, but couldn't help think of George Costanza sleeping under his desk and going to the gym at lunch.

Well yes. As above really. I understand where he's coming from I think when he articulated it first of all it was like "wait you don't want me to have a lunch break at all just in case something happens and people need me whaa"

PS: Just got back form a swim and although it was much busier it was kinda do-able. Swimming before lunch actually felt a little better although I forgot to wear my watch so no idea how well I did

EDIT:

I mean sure, if they allowed it then that's a different argument... but the idea you can unilaterally introduce an implied term/working practice/whatever seems very dubious.

My boss here is a sensible guy. He didn't tell me I couldn't do it, just made it very clear that it reflects badly on me (and him) if something comes up and I'm out mid-afternoon. He hasn't forced me to do anything, we just had an adult conversation about it and he pushed his view that going out between 12-2.30pm would be much better for everyone.

 

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Tell them your new exec hand holding surgery has now been rescheduled to the hours of 09:00 to 14:00.

Normal support ticket triage / SLA's apply.

I don't even work in IT and the fact I'm the go-to person to support the execs is a matter of discussion anyway (we need our service desk to step up and help, to be honest) - namely because I do travel for external meetings/projects a bit and hence am not in the office 8.5x5 anyway!

So you take a break to eat lunch AND take an hour to go swimming?

No, but congrats on your reading skills.

Could you not go for a swim after work?

I tried going at 6pm and it was so busy it was impossible. Hideous

He certainly has a lot of leeway. Assuming a standard 9-5, that's a lunch break three times longer than what a lot of people get.

9.30-6pm is my core hours but we're all very flexible depending on what's going on. Give and take. Then again, we're treated like adults with a lot of nice benefits so...

... but yes - processional swimming at peak time nose to tail, takes all the enjoyment away.

Indeed