Everyone in the office has their own lunchtime routine. Whether it’s running errands, catching up on TV, hitting the gym or meeting up with friends, lunchtime is a time for taking a valuable break from the streams of meetings, reports, and calls that can sometimes seem never-ending.

But, recent research by Flexioffices indicates, with the dawn of the new decade, work, office peer pressure and promotion ambitions have become ever growing threats to lunchtimes across the country. More and more people are dining ‘al desko’ – that is, eating their lunch at their desk and not taking their full entitled break.

The recent study involving 2,000 UK employees, revealed that almost a third of British workers (29%) only find the time to leave their desks for lunch for a full break two to three times a week.

By industry, those working in finance are most likely to take a full hour for lunch at 38%, while the least likely are those working in the art and culture industries, with only 21% in that field managing to take a full lunch four to six times a week.

There are a number of reasons why so many feel they can’t take time for lunch, and many are to do with a trifecta of work, promotion pressure and what other employees get up to on their lunch.

To make things worse, the majority of those surveyed said that they were aware that taking a full lunch break was beneficial to their health but remained unwilling or unable to take a full lunch themselves.

Twenty-one per cent of those surveyed said that not taking their lunch away from their desk led them to feel more stressed, 22% felt like they had no time for themselves, and 22% said they became mentally drained. Sixteen per cent went a step further to say that it made them feel unhappy.

With the above results, says Flexioffices, it’s a good idea to take stock and understand exactly what the humble lunchbreak can bring to your daily health regime.

Lunchbreaks give your brain the chance to recuperate and rest, thereby setting you up to improve your work productivity through the day and on into the week. By contrast, not taking an hour for lunch can result in a worse mood by the end of the day, adding stress to an already unrested and tired mind.

When it comes to those who work in offices, taking a break from the computer screen is also hugely beneficial for your eyes, while taking a walk outside the office gives you a daily dose of exercise as well as a change of scenery. Various sources such as Forbes and Thrive Global also claim that lunchbreaks can boost valuable creativity.

Legalities

Workers over 18 are usually entitled to three types of break - rest breaks at work, daily rest and weekly rest.

• Workers have the right to one uninterrupted 20 minute rest break during their working day, if they work more than six hours a day. This could be a tea or lunch break. The break doesn’t have to be paid - it depends on their employment contract.
• Workers have the right to 11 hours rest between working days, eg if they finish work at 8pm, they shouldn’t start work again until 7am the next day.
• Workers have the right to either an uninterrupted 24 hours without any work each week, or an uninterrupted 48 hours without any work each fortnight.