Now Getting a Bite Eat Means Getting a Byte to Eat
Once upon a time taking your lunch break on a work day meant getting together with some friends or coworkers. You would go to a nearby restaurant and chat over a meal away from the office. If you didn’t feel like socializing you might grab a book and enjoy a sack lunch in the park. While this still takes place, more and more of us are choosing to spend our lunchtime eating at our desk while we catch up on social media, browse YouTube videos, or surf the Internet.
In fact, so many of us are opting for this type of midday meal that it now has a name. It’s known as dining “Aldesco.”
aldesco \al-‘des-co\ adj or adv
1. At a desk. USAGE: Often used to describe eating lunch while seated at a workstation. Opposite of alfresco, which connotes pleasant outdoor settings far removed from fluorescent lights and fax machines. The term originated in a U.K. study which found that many workers were opting to eat lunch at their desks instead of heading out with friends or co-workers, using the time to catch up on email and browse their favorite shopping websites.
Example: Facing a tight work deadline, Sherrie pushed aside her day planner and ate an aldesco lunch.
—Business Dictionary, Spirit Lexicon, Entry No. 307.
Social media has become a part of our daily lives. If you’ve hired anyone lately, you know that electronic resumes (or even infographic resumes) have replaced the crisp linen-paper resumes of yesterday. Some resumes even include a Klout score of social media influence, Technorati rank of blog engagement, or Twitalyzer rank of Twitter influence. It makes sense when you realize employers are increasingly using social media to recruit employees: In 2012, 89% of recruiters placed candidates by using LinkedIn. One in six job seekers credit social media for helping them find their current jobs.
If you have employees who spend their lunches dining aldesco, you may want to look into putting a BYOD (Bring Your own Device) to Work Policy in place?
Why a BYOD Policy?
It’s common for your workers to bring their own smartphones, tablets, or other mobile devices to work. A BYOD policy would help you put safeguards in place to keep confidential business information private when your workers are using their own devices for work purposes. This policy would also address things like:
Cybersecurity- Telecommuting practices
- Employee privacy
- And other concerns related to today’s technology
For instance, if your employees are using their lunch breaks to do work-related emails or tasks, you should be aware of the laws regarding wage and overtime. Click here for state-specific requirements for meal breaks by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Your BYOD Policy should address these issues. Want to know more? Contact Dodge Legal Group, PC about the BYOD Policies we have for our clients or our Best Practices Checklist.