Office workers are skipping lunch to spend time at their desk

Peninsula BusinessWise today issued shocking figures which signal the death of the lunch hour in offices nationwide. Showing that an incredible 73% of office workers skip lunch on a regular basis; whilst as many as 71% find themselves simply too busy to take a lunch break. Based on a Peninsula polled survey of 764 office based employees from a variety of industries across the United Kingdom

Incredibly 73% of office workers skip their lunch hour on a regular basis;

A Shocking 71% of those polled admit that they are simply too busy to take a lunch break;

Peter Done, Managing Director of Peninsula BusinessWise said today:

The issue of office based employees not taking lunches is a more serious one than it may first appear. The common misconception that if someone spends time at their desk rather than out on their lunch they are therefore getting more work completed is a false belief.

If a member of staff remains working at their desk it will have a detrimental effect on their work abilities and productivity; which thus has a knock on effect on the total performance of the company, especially if many employees partake in a similar lunchtime philosophy. The legally allocated breaks for workers are there for a reason, and by not taking them employees are doing themselves more harm than good.

It is also important to note the two possible main side effects this kind of attitude will have on an employeeís health. Firstly and most obviously it is simply not healthy for any human being not to have lunch, it will cause tiredness, feeling drained and lethargic, limited cognitive ability, and damaging effects on motor skills to name but a few possible side effects. Secondly if members of staff prefer to spend time at their display screen equipment (DSE) they are possibly damaging the health of their eyes.

Employers have a duty of care towards the health of their employees, and as such must ensure that they look after DSE users and all members of staff. However the skipping of lunches is not the employers fault. By taking such action employees need to realise that they are damaging their own health, and are thus unable to perform to the utmost of their abilities.

The increase in the number of employees working part-time/flexible hours is also an important factor to consider. Members of staff come and go at varying hours during the day and as such have different breaks at different times in comparison to full-time workers.