I’ve never heard any TMs at my store complain about a leader being in or using the break room. I’m making my own decision to let people enjoy their breaks in the break room, and it works out well for me that I’m also able to enjoy my breaks with the other leaders in any of our offices. Besides, our leadership team orders tacos every Wednesday and it wouldn’t be a very good look for us to be enjoying that in the break room. I’m sorry your SD doesn’t let you guys take breaks in your office area and doesn’t let you order food. Get the culture fixed over there and things can be different. How bad have you guys made things over there that you supposedly are prohibited from getting your peers food? That’s verging on not believable; if anyone told me I can’t get my coworker food when we are off the clock for our meal I’d tell them they can pay me for my meal breaks if I’m going to be subject to arbitrary bullshit like that. Hell, sometimes for an 8am shift I’d buy energy drinks for the GM TLs who came in at 4am while I’m buying my breakfast energy drink. Yes, you need to think of yourself as the leader of your team, but at my store we are also a part of the leadership team; we take care of each other and yes there’s some less tangible “benefits”; the team members don’t complain about it because they see us working as hard as we, filling in the gaps, being accountable for everything. Our TMs say “damn, you guys are crazy for letting them make you be team leads, it seems so stressful and there’s so much you have to figure out and make sure it gets done”. Maybe if your whole store thinks TLs are lazy and just chill in the office all day, well maybe your SD is onto something with these ‘rules’.
I started as a team member, and we never actually asked or complained to anyone about it, but depending on who it was or how the day was going, there was always those few leaders who when they entered the break room, the mood tensed you a bit and all of a sudden no one wanted to bitch about work until they left. Or the leader who has their walkie on while in there annoying the shit out of everyone else. Yeah you can tell a fellow team member to turn that shit off but what about the key carrier that needs to be available for an emergency?