Another Wall Street Journal article. This one tells the absolute truth about the downsides of forced socializing at lunchtime at work https://osterreichische-apotheke.com/k../. Definitely have experienced the full range of these downsides.
Gems:
[John Trougaks and his colleagues] found that either socializing or working over lunch left employees more exhausted than simply relaxing with a true lunch break. But what really determined how drained someone was at the end of the day was how much choice they had over what they did during lunch. A mandatory company-sponsored lunch was more tiring than choosing to work through lunch. Having control over what you do with that time turns out to be as important as what you do.
Just about the time the afternoon post-lunch lull begins to set in, the social activities that were energizing earlier in the day start to make us feel depleted. This is true for both introverts and extroverts.
Fear of being seen as different or not being understood may lead minorities to attend lunches and parties out of a sense of obligation. This makes it even more difficult to connect. Anytime someone attends a lunch because they feel like they have to, their chances of creating meaningful connections are about as good as if they never left their desk.
