Haveo · Social anxiety at work

Team lunches and eating at work

Sit at a corner or an end, next to one person you can talk to. Most of the difficulty at a group lunch is the open middle of a long table, where you are visible to everyone and talking to nobody in particular.

Where you sit decides the meal

An end or a corner means one or two neighbors and one conversation. The middle of a long table means being in everyone's view with no natural partner.

Arrive slightly early so you get to choose rather than take what is left.

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One neighbor is the whole job

You are not required to entertain a table. A decent conversation with the person beside you is a completely successful lunch.

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Ordering

Decide before the waiter reaches you, and if you are unsure, order the same as someone else. It is a small decision that gets disproportionately stressful when it is your turn and everyone is listening.

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Eating in front of people

More common as a worry than people assume, and almost never noticed. Nobody at a work lunch is watching anyone else eat.

Ordering something easy to manage removes the thought entirely, which is worth more than picking what you most wanted.

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The everyday kitchen version

The office kitchen at noon is its own small ordeal. Going slightly before or after the rush is a legitimate solution and not an avoidance to feel bad about.

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Rehearse it before you walk in.

Haveo builds your intro, lets you practice out loud with an AI coach, and keeps your notes one tap away in the room. Free on iPhone and iPad.

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Common questions

Can I eat at my desk instead?
Most days, yes. Doing it every single day is what gets read as distance, so pick a couple of lunches that matter and go to those.
What if I have dietary restrictions?
Tell whoever books it, in advance and by message. It removes an on-the-spot conversation you would otherwise have in front of everyone.
What do people even talk about?
Weekends, the commute, television, and the work everyone is already doing. It is genuinely ordinary.
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