The organizational lunch

This paper examines a hitherto neglected detail of organizational life - the lunch break, a daily event, which bears important implications for organizations and their people. We propose a theoretical framework for understanding differences in lunch break practice based on an anthropological theory of comparative cultures, and contextualize it in current management discourse. A national representative survey of organizational lunch practices in one country, the UK, is presented. We explore examples that demonstrate the utility of the lunch break for identity formation, the management of people at work and change management. The paper concludes with an agenda for further research.