📦 Office Swap: Lunch Files – Onboarding

Date: 20 October 2025
From: Office of Nourishment & Energy (Acting)
To: All Staff
Subject: “How does lunch run here?”

Each week, Nourishment & Energy (N&E) asks: “How does lunch run here?” Today we shadow Onboarding (OB)—they love checklists and whirlwind tours; N&E loves plates and protein. A new hire arrives. So does reality.

N&E: How does lunch run here?
OB: Day 1 is full: paperwork, tours, training. We say, “grab something if you can.”
N&E: (gasp) “If you can” isn’t a plan—it’s a scavenger hunt. Where does the new brain refuel?
OB: There’s a café downstairs. People wing it.
N&E: New places mute appetite, spike nerves, and erase water. That’s not onboarding—that’s endurance.
OB: We only have so many minutes.
N&E: Then spend them wisely: 15-minute refuel window at 12:45. Call it “buffer” if “lunch” sounds luxurious.
OB: And food? We can’t cater every induction.
N&E: Don’t cater—infrastructure: a labelled New-Hire Shelf (boiled eggs, yoghurt, fruit, salad box, soup jars).
OB: People forget containers.
N&E: Issue a Future-You Kit with the access card: small lunch bag, leak-proof container, fork, napkin. Lives under the desk.
OB: What about allergies and preferences?
N&E: Label plainly, provide swaps, and keep fruit at eye level. Clarity feeds dignity.
OB: Hm. If we set the table, people will actually eat.
N&E: Exactly. Orientation includes the fridge.
Both: Set people up to win, and they do.

N&E’s Notes (evidence-based fixes, fast)

• Protect a 12:45–1:00 refuel window on Day 1; a short, real break beats distracted nibbling.
• Hydration nudges: Water jugs on the induction table; pair every coffee with water (mild dehydration dents attention and mood).
• New-Hire Shelf (labelled): boiled eggs, yoghurt, pre-washed salad, fruit, soup jars; clear allergy notes + simple swaps.
• Future-You Kit: lunch bag, leak-proof container, fork, napkin—issued with the security pass.
• Gentle options for jittery appetites: soup/broth, yoghurt + fruit, congee, small sandwich.
• Better-than-nothing fallback: microwave rice + tinned fish/beans + frozen veg = 3-minute lunch.
• Visibility matters: keep ready-to-eat fruit and proteins at eye level to increase use.
• Language tweak: call breaks buffers if that helps them survive the calendar.

Self-Love Reflection: Welcome yourself like a new hire—make it easy to eat well on Day 1 of any change.