Encouraging Employees To Take Their Lunch Break

At the beginning of the year, Bupa revealed the results of their study which found that less than one in three workers take a proper lunch break each day. The study of 2,000 full time workers found that less than a third take a full hour for lunch each day, and over a quarter, never take a break at all during their working day.

Some of the reasons cited include:

  • Having too much work to pause for a few minutes
  • Employees see their boss not taking lunch and feel pressure to not take one either.

A 2013 BBC poll found that 53% of the 600 office workers surveyed believed that the culture of not taking lunch breaks was widespread in their workplace. However, not taking a lunch break can harm employees’ wellness and overall productivity.

What are employees entitled to?

According to Working Time Regulations, workers have the right to an uninterrupted 20 minute rest break during their working day, if they work more than six hours a day.

Jennifer Skeoch, an employment lawyer for Burness Paull LLP, told Stylist magazine: “Although the Working Time Regulations stipulate that anyone working six hours or more must get a break, it only has to be 20 minutes and your boss isn’t obliged to pay you for it. Saying that, most companies will allow for more and your contract of employment should outline what you’re entitled to.”

What are the effects of employees not taking lunch break?

Ksenia Zheltoukhova, research adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development told Stylist: “There is overwhelming evidence to suggest that taking a lunch break leads to better health and wellbeing and increased employee engagement.”

The Bupa study found that just over half the workers claim that missing lunch puts them in a bad mood, while two in five believe the lack of a proper break makes them feel unproductive during the afternoon. Furthermore, 30% of workers stated feeling physically ill at work having skipped lunch.

With workers not taking a break they tend to eat at their desks. Anyone who has tried to type with a sandwich in one hand will know it’s not the most productive way to work, and this has been backed up by researchers at Humboldt University in Berlin who found that eating at your desk actually makes you more stressed and less creative.

Once you read the BBC’s report that says that desks and keyboards can harbour high levels of bacteria, sometimes even more than toilet seats, you’ll realise that eating at your desk probably isn’t very hygienic either. The same report also lists some other arguments for getting away from your desk for a lunch break including:

  • Eating while working can result in ‘mindless eating’ which can cause people to overeat and gain weight.
  • Going outside into the daylight stimulates Vitamin D production and encourages serotonin, which helps to regulate mood.
  • Not sitting at a desk all day and moving around can help prevent musculoskeletal disorders caused by prolonged poor posture.

As our managing mental health article explained, taking a proactive approach to health and wellbeing can positively affect your business’s bottom line. If your employees are not taking their lunch breaks it can result in a loss of efficiency, which has financial implications for your business. Bupa found that UK companies are losing up to £50 million a day in lost productivity, according to Stylist magazine.

Bupa corporate director, Patrick Watt, told the Telegraph: “It’s worrying that some employers are not encouraging their staff to take time out of the working day to relax and recharge.

“Not only does this affect productivity levels, but it can have far wider implications on business performance. Taking a proper break helps employees to stay alert, focused, and performing at their peak.”

A real life example of a company that’s encouraging its staff to take a proper lunch break, and seeing the benefits, is Ipswich Building Society. In the BBC report, employees were seen playing Wii tennis, going swimming or going for walks during their lunch hour. The managing director said: “We’ve seen […] a significant drop in sickness absence, which is good for the business, a significant reduction in staff turnover, which again saves us a lot of money and customer satisfaction levels are up. So, to me, it’s a win-win for everyone.”

How can you encourage employers to help employees take lunch breaks?

If not taking lunch breaks is a widespread habit across your organisation, it might well mean that you need to shake up your company culture. Make sure staff understand they are expected to take a lunch break. Ensuring managers are seen to take their breaks will help more junior employees not feel guilty about taking the breaks they are entitled to.

Managing director of CV-Library said: “Working lunches are often the result of an organisation’s internal culture, placing the onus on businesses to ensure staff are given sufficient time to refuel and rejuvenate over lunch, so that they are ready to work productively for the remainder of the afternoon.”

To encourage employees to get away from their desks and make the most of their lunch break, promote activities that have been found to boost productivity, such as walking, healthy eating, doodling, meditation and napping. Your staff can benefit from their lunch break and you can benefit from increased productivity in the afternoons.

Maximise employee wellbeing

SAMS is dedicated to making sure that workforces around the country are as safe as possible. We offer a wide number of e-learning and classroom-based training programmes in a variety of different fields. If you want to know more about prioritising your staff members’ safety then take a look at our wide range of available courses, or give us a call and find out if any of our bespoke training offerings suit your needs.

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