How it feels to go back to work after your lunch
This image depicts a group of individuals in orange jumpsuits being escorted by a person wearing a "NYC CORRECTION" uniform through a secure, gated entry in what appears to be a correctional facility. The caption above the picture reads, "How it feels to go back to work after your lunch break," suggesting a humorous comparison between returning to one's job and the prisoners returning to their cells.
The humor in the image arises from the exaggerated comparison of the mundane and often-unenthusiastic feeling of ending one's lunch break to return to work, to the much more severe and controlled process of inmates being taken back to confinement. While the scenarios are drastically different in seriousness and freedom, the jest is that they evoke a similarly begrudging sentiment.
The bright orange jumpsuits, associated with prison attire in many places, are an immediately recognizable symbol of incarceration, casting the wearers in the role of prisoners. The contrast with the viewers' likely more free and less rigid work environments is part of what makes the image amusing, as it equates the common workplace to a penitentiary.
The presence of the correctional officer, who calmly ushers the prisoners, plays into the joke by implying that workers require similar shepherding to return to their tasks. The humor might resonate with those feeling their workplace has overly strict or confining rules that can sometimes make going back to work feel like a loss of freedom.
The stark, institutional scenery reinforces the metaphor. The barred gate and heavy doors along with the clear demarcation of a red line on the floor suggest a highly controlled movement and lack of freedom associated with prison as opposed to most workplaces, exaggerating the dread some people may feel about resuming work.
Ultimately, the image taps into a common human experience: the reluctance or lack of enthusiasm in transitioning from a break back to responsibilities. By portraying this shared sentiment in such an extreme and visually literal way, the image elicits a chuckle through its hyperbolic portrayal of a typical part of the workday. How it feels to go back to work after your lunch break
