US CEO's simple lunch habit helps him hear what employees really think

Ancestry CEO Howard Hochhauser regularly has lunch with employees to hear concerns directly. The informal conversations helped shape how the company framed office attendance expectations.Howard Hochhauser, the CEO of Ancestry Corporate. (Photo: LinkedIn)New Delhi,Oct 13, 2026 16:01 ISTWhile many CEOs rely on formal meetings to stay in touch with employees, Ancestry Corporate president Howard Hochhauser prefers a more casual setting: the office lunch table. By sharing meals with colleagues, he says, he gets a clearer picture of their concerns and hears feedback that might never make its way into a boardroom.In an interview with Fortune, Hochhauser explained how these everyday interactions have shaped his approach to leadership, helping him understand what employees think before making important workplace decisions.Hochhauser picked up the habit in the late 1990s, when he worked in equity research at investment bank Bear Stearns. The firm's longtime chief executive, Ace Greenberg, made a point of sitting with employees rather than keeping his distance from them. Recalling the experience, Hochhauser told Fortune, “Ace Greenberg, who founded the firm, sat on the floor every day, and it stuck with me. Like, gosh, that’s really a visible statement. He’s really accessible.”The lesson stayed with him long after he left the firm. At Ancestry, shared lunches have become a way to hear directly from employees, without the formality of scheduled meetings or the pressure of speaking in front of senior management. The approach proved useful when Ancestry was preparing to communicate its expectations around working from the office. Before announcing the arrangements, Hochhauser discussed them informally with employees over lunch.Their responses brought up practical concerns that might otherwise have been overlooked. Employees spoke about managing office attendance alongside family responsibilities, from dropping children off at school to taking them to sporting activities.Those conversations helped Hochhauser understand what employees needed from the proposed policy and how it should be communicated.“People appreciate it, leveling with them and telling them what expectations are,” he told Fortune, adding, “And over lunch, people were honest and raised their concerns, but also appreciated the candor.”When he subsequently addressed employees, he encouraged them to exercise their own judgment, telling them, “You’re an adult. Use your judgment.”Hochhauser is not the only business leader to favour informal interactions. Former Apple CEO Tim Cook regularly ate with employees in the company's cafeteria, while Duolingo co-founder Luis von Ahn and other executives have embraced shared lunches. First Watch CEO Chris Tomasso also eats with employees in the break room.For Howard Hochhauser, the idea is simple: sometimes, understanding a workplace begins with pulling up a chair and listening.- Ends