An expat CEO in Manila once rolled out a seemingly sensible policy: “Lunch when you can.” Flexibility, after all, is a perk. Grab a sandwich, take a walk, come back recharged.

But six months later, something felt off. Attrition was quietly ticking upward. Team energy had dipped. One comment in an exit interview stuck: “We didn’t feel like a team.”

The problem wasn’t the work. It was lunch – or rather, the absence of it.

In many Western workplaces, lunch is just a pit stop: quick, functional, solo. But in collectivist cultures – like the Philippines, Colombia, Japan, and China – lunch is part of the job. It’s where trust is built, power dynamics are managed, and belonging is signaled. Declining to join a team meal can speak louder than words.

Why Lunch Matters More in Collective Cultures

In collectivist societies, the group comes first. Harmony, loyalty, and shared experience are the fabric of daily life – and work. Shared meals are one of the primary rituals that hold that fabric together.

According to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions:

• Philippines: Individualism score of 32
• Colombia: 13
• China: 20
• Japan: 46
  Contrast that with the US (91) or Australia (90), where independence and efficiency are prized, even over lunch.

So when a leader says “do what works for you,” but the culture says “we eat together,” dissonance creeps in.

Meals as Cultural Infrastructure

Lunch isn’t just a meal. It’s a message.

• In the Philippines, a group trip to the local carinderia or Jollibee isn’t optional – it’s a team ritual. Declining? It can come off as aloof or even disrespectful.

• In Colombia, the menú del día is more than lunch – it’s a social contract. Bosses often pick up the bill, reinforcing a familial, caring leadership model.

• In Japan, the real honesty happens not at meetings but at nomikai – evening meals and drinks where hierarchy softens and trust deepens.

• In China, legacy canteens from the danwei (work unit) era still shape identity. Eating together is being together.

Skip the meal, and you risk skipping the culture.

But What If Your Team Is Remote – or Global?

This is where many leaders pause: “What if my team spans cultures and time zones? What if we’re remote?”

Here’s the key: the principle of shared meals still applies – it just needs translation. For remote employees especially, lunch is often their one real break away from the desk. Protecting that time matters, which is why leaders should be intentional about creating alternatives that still bring people together. For example:

• Virtual lunch rooms: Host optional “camera-on” lunches once or twice a month. Time it for overlap zones. No agenda – just eat and chat.

• Cultural meal-sharing: Invite team members to bring their local cuisine and explain the story behind it. It builds cross-cultural awareness and connection.

• Food as care: Send meal credits or snack boxes during long project sprints. It’s not the calories – it’s the thought.

• Remote rituals: In collectivist teams, even a short “What’s for lunch?” check-in humanizes the meeting and opens trust-building space.

Remote or not, the core idea remains: sharing food = sharing identity. And belonging, even virtual, still feeds loyalty.

Invisible Meetings, Visible Consequences

In relationship-based cultures, trust isn’t built by being competent alone. It’s built in the in-between moments – lunches, coffees, after-hours chats. As Erin Meyer notes in The Culture Map, “In many Asian and Latin American cultures, trust is built over time and informally – not in the boardroom.”

That means many decisions don’t actually happen in the meeting. They happen over noodles, rice, or soup. Leaders who skip those moments may feel efficient – but they’re missing half the work.

Lunch as Strategy: What Great Leaders Do Differently

Let’s reframe lunch from perk to policy.

1. Prioritize coordinated breaks

• Avoid back-to-back scheduling across lunch in collectivist teams.
• Treat meal times as team infrastructure, not downtime.

2. Lead from the table

• Sit with your team. Rotate seating. Listen more than you speak.
• Occasionally pick up the bill – it’s not about the money, but the message.

3. Make it part of onboarding

• Invite new hires to join team meals in week one. It’s subtle, but decisive.
• Accidental exclusion during lunch can sow early seeds of disconnection.

4. Reimagine perks

• Subsidized meals, food allowances, or even just shared snacks have cultural weight.
• In collectivist cultures, food benefits say “you belong” – loudly.

5. Watch the room – or the screen

• Who eats together? Who doesn’t? Where are decisions really getting made?
• These signals reveal far more about team health than any dashboard.

It’s Not Just About Food

According to Mercer’s 2024 Global Talent Trends, “sense of belonging” and “psychological safety” are top drivers of employee thriving. McKinsey’s State of Organizations found that soft perks like inclusive meals correlate with stronger engagement.

So if your retention strategy hinges only on salary, titles, or bonuses, you’re missing something essential – especially in Asia or Latin America.

The loyalty glue is often in the rice, not the raise.

If you want to know the health of your team, watch what happens at noon.

Here’s to leading better, one insight at a time.

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