Lunch breaks become something of the past

8 in 10 workers favour working through lunch so they can finish early

Lunch breaks are becoming something of the past for many workers according to new research released today by Peninsula, the employment law firm. Employees are finding that on average they are taking in total just 2 hours a week for lunch compared to 5 hours back in 2002.

The death of the lunch break is upon us,î states Alan Price, Head of HR Business Practice at Peninsula. Whilst the law is clear with regard to daily rest, proper lunch breaks are not regulated.

ìThe law only requires employers to provide a 20 minute break for six hours work. With the emergence of email communication and online networking sites employees are combining eating at the desk during the lunch period with completing work and surfing the net. And with an increase in the amount of employees who have access to the internet, the reasons to leave the office are slipping awayî

The people that will take fewer lunches will be those in an office environment whilst those in factories, manufacturing and other sectors such as supermarkets etc are more likely to enjoy a full hour for lunch.

ìA recent phase which involves workers spending any lunch hour that they take tied to their desk is social networking sites. When an employee has been sat at their desk all morning busily working away, during their lunch break they are able to contact friends and family who also have access to social networking site,î continues Mr Price

ìFive years ago, there were fewer social networking sites for employees to browse and less shopping sites than there are in todayís internet society. Employees didnít have a reason to stay at their desk; they preferred to leave the office where they spent most of their day.î

ìMany employees that we spoke to [82% of respondents] would prefer to work through their lunch so they can finish earlier. Pressures from work, impending deadlines and other factors of the job have also had an impact on whether employees take lunch hours or not. But the respondents that we spoke to for this survey made it clear that their employers did not force them to skip lunch. î

Mr Price concludes, ìEmployers should encourage workers to stop and take rest periods to ensure productivity, and regular rest breaks will ensure that the employee is able to concentrate on their tasks at hand, lessening health and safety risks. You only need to look at an employee who returns from annual leave to see that a break does everyone the world of good. Employeeís should realise that the time spent away from the office, even if for only ten minutes, will help to clear their mind and help them focus on their job upon their returnî