DISHER Lunch & Learns

The Perfect Way to Connect & Develop Teams

How many of you bring your lunch to work, warm it up in the company microwave, and head back to your desk to keep working because you have so much to accomplish? Connecting with colleagues is not a high priority when our calendars are double and triple booked. We use the lunch hour to catch up on emails, return phone calls, or run errands. When I started my career many years ago, lunchtime was used to connect with colleagues by either going out to eat or gathering in the lunchroom with our brown bags. That mid-day connection was an important part of my day, especially since I moved into a new community. I’m not sure when eating at your desk became the new norm but it certainly is a common behavior today.

Is your office lacking connection and community? Could your team use a well-planned lunch hour with a guest speaker to pull them together? Maybe it’s time to offer an opportunity for your team to not only connect but learn something at the same time.

Lunchtime connection and learning can be an important compliment to existing training and development programs in the workplace. Teammates that eat and learn together can work better together because now they have a touchpoint for connection. Learning doesn’t have to only be at the lunch hour either. Consider the first hour or last hour of the day for educational training when seeking to spark employee engagement.

Setting up lunch and learn sessions at your company shows an investment in employee development. Plan to incorporate both internal and external speakers. Internal speakers can highlight their expertise and educate the greater company. An external speaker can draw in another viewpoint for dialogue around an already known or unknown topic. Topics should be carefully selected so that they are relevant for the audience.  A schedule should be advertised with the list of topics well in advance, so employees have time to clear their schedules and attend. Prepare your talk so there are memorable key take-aways. Do not make these mandatory events. Instead, strive for the opposite and let the connection piece motivate others to want to join in the future. Consider recording the events for those teammates that work remotely.

DISHER would like to partner with you if you have a lunch and learn program already established or if you are considering starting one. DISHER offers a variety of insightful talks which can take place at your facility, DISHER, or the venue of your choice. The audience could be a single department or the entire organization. We’ll work with you to schedule the event when it works best for your team. DISHER provides the speaker and the expertise— your team just needs to show up and be ready to engage.

Successful organizations invest in team-member development. Lunch and learn programs offer a fun way to get people away from their desks, share a meal, learn something new, and share in the dialogue on a variety of topics. Be intentional about giving your team time to connect! If you would like to host a DISHER Lunch & Learn, please contact us today!

Written By: Aimee VandenElzen, Team Lead – Product Development
Aimee has a BS in Engineering and an MBA with over 25 years of product launch and leadership experience. She is passionate about communication, diversity and inclusion to create workplaces where people thrive and feel connected! Two things that bring her absolute joy… reading a real book printed on paper, and cooking up multiple course meals for friends!