If you aren't on the deadline team, don't eat the lunch

[*inviteseller]

Only the people on the deadline team should be getting in to eat as they are the ones this lunch is being bought for.  There is something about free food that just brings out the worst in people.  Your supervisor who is supplying the lunch should make it clear who lunch is for.  If the others want the free food, they should volunteer to give up all their time to work on the project.

[kckgirl]

Is your team located in the same general area? Maybe the food could be delivered there instead of the break room. No email would be needed. It sounds like boss doesn't know how to create an email distribution list and is sending to "all" because it's easier, thereby creating the problem.

[TootsNYC]

No, the lunch-buying guy knows how to work the email system--that's kind of a wild assumption.

It's that he hasn't been persuaded to believe that it's OK to only notify the people on deadline. He thinks it has to be for everybody.

AllI know is, if it were the folks in the other departments who were having their lunch-buying crunch time (which would come at an earlier time in the cycle than mine), I wouldn't go get the lunch until the first wave had been through.

[NyaChan]

No, the lunch-buying guy knows how to work the email system--that's kind of a wild assumption.

It's that he hasn't been persuaded to believe that it's OK to only notify the people on deadline. He thinks it has to be for everybody.

AllI know is, if it were the folks in the other departments who were having their lunch-buying crunch time (which would come at an earlier time in the cycle than mine), I wouldn't go get the lunch until the first wave had been through.

haha unfortunately, experience has taught me that this sort of thing happens a lot!  I can't tell you how many times people at school or prior jobs would just email the entire class or building because they couldn't figure out how to work the different groupings in the email system. Plus it makes so much more sense than someone being too stubborn or thick to understand that food for 10 people won't serve say 30 people    That's what blows my mind.

[dirtyweasel]

No, the lunch-buying guy knows how to work the email system--that's kind of a wild assumption.

It's that he hasn't been persuaded to believe that it's OK to only notify the people on deadline. He thinks it has to be for everybody.

AllI know is, if it were the folks in the other departments who were having their lunch-buying crunch time (which would come at an earlier time in the cycle than mine), I wouldn't go get the lunch until the first wave had been through.

Per the bolded...not necessarily....I worked with a lady who didn't know how to send attachments via email and I had to tell all of the ladies in my office the difference between to, cc, and bc. 

[PeterM]

It's that he hasn't been persuaded to believe that it's OK to only notify the people on deadline. He thinks it has to be for everybody.

Would it be worth it to point-blank ask him why, if he feels he has to make the food available to everyone, he refuses to buy enough food to actually feed everyone?

"So you're buying enough food for eight people, and telling twenty-five people that lunch is here. Do you really not see a problem with that?"

[Shoo]

It's that he hasn't been persuaded to believe that it's OK to only notify the people on deadline. He thinks it has to be for everybody.

Would it be worth it to point-blank ask him why, if he feels he has to make the food available to everyone, he refuses to buy enough food to actually feed everyone?

"So you're buying enough food for eight people, and telling twenty-five people that lunch is here. Do you really not see a problem with that?"

Yes, I am wondering if anyone has actually asked this guy to do the math.

[JenJay]

It's that he hasn't been persuaded to believe that it's OK to only notify the people on deadline. He thinks it has to be for everybody.

Would it be worth it to point-blank ask him why, if he feels he has to make the food available to everyone, he refuses to buy enough food to actually feed everyone?

"So you're buying enough food for eight people, and telling twenty-five people that lunch is here. Do you really not see a problem with that?"

No kidding! That's like a Bride who says "I don't care that I can only afford catering for 100 people - I want to invite 200!" You either provide food for everyone you've invited or invite only those you are willing to pay for. The fact that he does this knowing some of his employees will end up with NO lunch is ridiculous!

[Green Bean]

Years ago, my company had a major software implementation that went... Poorly. Very poorly. They pull a sizable number of resources from my larger (150+) department into a crises team to reconcile issues over months. Daily, thus team was fed breakfast, lunch, dinner, and ongoing snacks and beverages to help ease the pain of the project. It was well known in our department that the food on conference room A was only for the crises team. Others couldn't have any (and lots of the food catered from nearby restaurants smelled so good), but hey, they weren't burning the midnight oil or working 7 days a week, either.

Reflecting back on the situation, I believe it was handled well. It was done under special special circumstances to both enable the team to accomplish their tasks with minimal interruptions, as well as acknowledge in a small way the sacrifices they were making.

[rigs32]

So what is the ultimate result on days like that?  The deadline team, the one the lunch was intended for, goes hungry?  How does that help anyone? 

[Shoo]

So what is the ultimate result on days like that?  The deadline team, the one the lunch was intended for, goes hungry?  How does that help anyone? 

I was wondering that too.  Do the hungry team members then have to leave the office to go get lunch anyway?  Seems like that would defeat the purpose. 

[amylouky]

So what is the ultimate result on days like that?  The deadline team, the one the lunch was intended for, goes hungry?  How does that help anyone? 

I was wondering that too.  Do the hungry team members then have to leave the office to go get lunch anyway?  Seems like that would defeat the purpose.

That would actually be my approach to solve the problem. I'd tell Boss, "Hey Boss.. since entire office was invited to lunch but only half enough was bought, we're going to have to go ahead and take a lunch break.. we'll be back in an hour."

Nothing makes bosses/project managers scramble to fix things faster than thinking they may lose out on work time!

[DavidH]

Your assumptions seem fine except they depend on the wording of the email.  An email that says, lunch is here for the XYZ team is fine and suggests that it's only for them.  An email that says lunch is here suggests that is is for all the recipients.  If your boss won't buy for the entire office and feels compelled to email the lunch announcement to all, then at the minimum it should be clear about who lunch is for.

[TootsNYC]

So what is the ultimate result on days like that?  The deadline team, the one the lunch was intended for, goes hungry?  How does that help anyone? 

I was wondering that too.  Do the hungry team members then have to leave the office to go get lunch anyway?  Seems like that would defeat the purpose.

Well, after 1 week of this nonsense, with us thinking he'd order more food the next time, the deadline team either going hungry or ordering on their own, my team just gave up, and I ordered for us.
  The other step was that the guy who ordered the food started telling the deadline team first, so they could get in to get it.

[Sneezy]

I usually take the delivery and go from desk to desk to personally deliver the food. Leftovers go to the break room. It may take a while, but my taking about 20 minutes delivering food saves a bunch of time as well as gives me a chance to see how the quieter people are doing and get them what they need to meet the deadline.