My department held an awards luncheon this past week. It was virtual, since the company decided to discard one of our leased buildings, leave the second one closed except for basic services, and continue to have all our phone contact personnel work from home. There have been rumors that next year we will actually meet in person someplace, but considering we are spread out in some half dozen states from Cape May to Kalamazoo, I doubt we will have as big a turnout as a virtual meeting will.
The surprising thing about the virtual luncheon is that nobody ate on camera.
In the good old days–three years ago when we had an actual office culture–people ate together in the cafeteria without any embarrassment. Now that we’ve become hermits in our own homes, we seem to be more ashamed of being observed close-up while eating our meals.
One person was too tempted by their selection (delivered via food delivery service and paid for by the company) to wait, and they sneaked in a few bites as we joined in some good-natured ice-breaking conversation and tried to stoke the fires of camaraderie on a Brady Bunch-style video conference. Even though nobody else ate, I know everybody got lunch, because had one of the e-gift cards not been delivered, I would have been the first person to hear of it.
I had also chosen not to eat while the meeting was in progress, because as one of the organizing crew, I needed to be the one to run the awards slideshow and watch for any activities needing attention. If I needed to speak up, that would be hard to do while devouring luncheon food.
In all it turned out to be a fun time. We set aside an hour for the event and it ultimately ended up taking about forty minutes. It wasn’t anything like black tie or a stage with an orchestra pit, but we had the opportunity to see people we don’t normally view in our new normal. All but one attended, which is admirable considering how our schedules work. I could do it again next year.
I doubt we will actually do anything in person before I’m ready to retire. It doesn’t seem feasible, and it may just end up being more awkward than a virtual event. Does anybody still have clothes for a nice place to eat out anymore?
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