One thing really annoying that I’ve noticed working in the white collar industry is that some people get a free pass all the time on important things, just because they have kids. For example, in a different team who often has to step away during business hours and becomes unreachable, simply because they have kids. There’s always some sort of excuse with them. Have to go pick him up from the bus stop, have to go pick him up from school because they got in trouble, dance recital during the middle of the day, always something. But when it comes to ordinary normal people who don’t have kids, it feels like there’s a lot more scrutiny. Why do you need a doctor’s appointment in the middle of the day? Why do you need to go pick up a prescription at lunch time, like why can’t you work through lunch?
But also, when it comes to employment, it feels like there’s a lot of preferential treatment for people with children. Oh that person has kids / children! They need the job a lot more. They have a little girl! Clearly they need it more than the the person who has a disabled spouse, because kids are way more important than an adult dependent! We can’t fire this person, they have kids! Let’s choose someone who doesn’t have a family. Like, stuff like this. Why is there so much preferential treatment to people who have children? Is this some sort of utilitarian thing? The least number of people affected?
It seems like you might not realize, but much of White collar America works right through lunch. It’s the standard. You will work your ass off your entire life, and you will be grateful for your job, they will not be grateful for you. That’s the standard that has been set in the USA. Hell, at least once a week I’m on a call with some other team and there’s someone calling in from a doctor’s office. Had a guy say he had to step out of the doctor’s office mid visit with his doctor just to take a call and I thought that was the most absurd and ridiculous thing I have heard in a really long time. You’re literally in the chair talking to the doctor and you say hold on sorry I got to leave really quick for business. Like what the heck?
I work in the US and this is not universally true. Though a lot of companies will make you feel that way, there are many that wouldn’t do this. My company respects my lunch hour. I know many that have the same situation.
I work an office job in the US. You need to find a better job. No one here is required or even expected to skip lunch. Scheduling is often difficult, so many of my colleagues put it on their calendars as reserved time/another meeting. You can’t schedule a meeting with John at noon. It doesn’t matter if it’s because he’s in another meeting or at lunch; he’s already booked.
Yes, there are many terrible employers. If you work for one, you need to leave.
That can’t be healthy in the long run. I wonder if it makes Americans snap and go totally postal. Or maybe people just burn out and decide to jump in the nearest river.