Reclaim the lunch break!

Employers of office support professionals in the City could be losing out on valuable staff productivity because their employees are not taking a lunch break. This is according to a survey of 260 office support professionals working in Londonís financial services industry, which found that the majority (78%) believe they are more productive and alert at work if they take a lunch break but only 15% actually do so each day.

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The survey, conducted by financial services recruiter, Morgan McKinley, found that not only is the traditional ëlunch-hourí a thing of the past for 80% of office support professionals but almost one-in-four (24%) say the longest they switch off from work at lunchtime is 15 minutes or less a day.

The most frequently cited reason for working through a lunch break may come as no surprise; workload. 68% of respondents stated that they work through their lunch break because they have too much work to do. The following three most popular reasons cited were; ëIím on a roll and donít want the distractioní (23%); ëI donít want to have to work lateí (20%); and ëNo one else in my team takes a lunch breakí (16%).

With an overwhelming 90% of office support professionals stressing the importance of taking a break during the working day, itís clear something needs to be done to reclaim the lunch break and both employees and their bosses can get involved. Individuals can ensure they are making the most effective use of their time at work by assessing their time management techniques, including prioritising tasks. This, together with simply making a conscious effort to take a break should help individuals get closer to ensuring they redress the balance.

Employers can also play their part in helping to reclaim the lunch break by making sure their office culture is one that encourages staff to get away from their desk at lunchtime and switch off from work. By doing so, theyíll be encouraging increased productivity and promoting the all-important issue of work/life balance.

Julie-Anne Page, Associate Director, Secretarial & Support Division, Morgan McKinley comments: ìLondonís office support professionals and their employers both have a role to play in redressing the balance. We need to look at areas such as time management, so that individuals make the most efficient use of their time in the workplace, as well as encouraging an office culture which promotes the benefits of taking a daily break during the working day.

All employers want to generate maximum productivity while maintaining staff morale at an optimum level, so employers should be doing all they can to encourage this.î

The top four reasons for working through a lunch break are:

- ëI have too much work to doí (68%);

- Iím on a roll and donít want the distractioní (23%);

- ëI donít want to have to work lateí (20%);

- ëNo one else in my team takes a lunch breakí (16%)

The top four reasons why taking a lunch break is important:

- ëGives me a chance to switch off and relaxí (66%);

- ëIt breaks up the dayí (66%);

- ëAllows me to run personal errandsí (41%);

- ëAllows me to socialise with colleaguesí (22%)