1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 1: Today's tip is to institute a celebratory late lunch on Fridays. 4 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 1: Whether you do this lunch in person or virtually, this 5 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: will give your colleagues a chance to socialize in a 6 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,159 Speaker 1: way that's not exclusionary and can help you in the 7 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: work week in a less haphazard way. One of the 8 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: truisms of modern management is that teams that like and 9 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:41,520 Speaker 1: trust each other tend to be more productive. Much time 10 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 1: can be wasted jockeying for position and other such things 11 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,519 Speaker 1: that don't happen when people assume the best from each other. 12 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 1: One of the best ways to build that trust is 13 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: to spend relaxed time together. That's why, in normal times, 14 00:00:56,920 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: good managers like to look for opportunities to take the 15 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,520 Speaker 1: team out for drinks or dinner. I know that these 16 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:07,200 Speaker 1: days many people are working from home, but as people 17 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: go back to their offices over the next few months, 18 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 1: I think it's important to question the way things have 19 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 1: always been done. And it turns out that there's a 20 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: problem with late night socializing. It assumes that people have 21 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,680 Speaker 1: the freedom to spend non work hours with their colleagues. 22 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:28,280 Speaker 1: Some working parents or others with outside of work obligations 23 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: might just beg off, or they may need to make 24 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 1: other arrangements for daycare pickup or sending a citter home, 25 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: And if they know a spouse is covering this extra 26 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: time or the babysitter meters ticking, they might feel pressured 27 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: to jet out as soon as possible. Watching the time 28 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: doesn't make you feel relaxed, which is the point of 29 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: social occasions. So if you truly want to make everyone 30 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: feel welcome and included, it's important to have these social 31 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 1: occasions during the work day. This shows that socializing is 32 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: an important part of the job, which is true. If 33 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:09,079 Speaker 1: you actually believe that teams need to like and trust 34 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: each other, then it's not extra something to come out 35 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: of personal and family hours. It should be part of 36 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: work hours. I think a festive lunch once a week 37 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 1: serves this purpose nicely. Having a regular occasion allows people 38 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 1: to plan for it. They know not to pack their 39 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 1: lunch on that day, or if people want to go 40 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 1: do a workout or read or something else over lunch, 41 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: they can plan that for other days. And if people 42 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 1: are working virtually, they can build it into their schedules. 43 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:41,839 Speaker 1: As for a late Friday lunch, well, hosting a lunch 44 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: from one thirty to two thirty or so on Friday 45 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:48,640 Speaker 1: afternoons acknowledges that not much happens after that point. Anyway, 46 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: it's kind of like a happy hour, but doesn't need 47 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:55,520 Speaker 1: to center around alcohol. And Hey, if the company pays 48 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:58,080 Speaker 1: for lunch, which would even mean paying for people's door 49 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: dash with a virtual workforce, then most people will at 50 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: least be engaged until the end of it, which isn't 51 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: always a given on Friday afternoons. A late Friday lunch 52 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 1: also allows for a more ritualistic ending of the work week. 53 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: In life, we tend to be better at starting things 54 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: than ending them. We drift out at different times and 55 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,880 Speaker 1: don't pause to reflect. A late Friday lunch allows everyone 56 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 1: to chat about what happened and how it went, and 57 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:31,640 Speaker 1: to thank everyone for their contributions. So think about whether 58 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 1: a late Friday lunch would work in your office. If so, 59 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: how could you make it happen. If you're in charge, 60 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: talk with your team about what would work best. If 61 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 1: you're not, try mentioning it to your supervisor as a 62 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: possibility you might just start ending the week in a 63 00:03:49,960 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: far more productive and social way. In the meantime, this 64 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 1: is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the 65 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 1: most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear 66 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 67 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook 68 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:19,520 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's b E the 69 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 1: number four, then Breakfast p o D. You can also 70 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:27,279 Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i 71 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:30,360 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out 72 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward 73 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:41,359 Speaker 1: to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of 74 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:44,719 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio. 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