Are you guilty of eating ‘al desko’ at work? Why more Brits are struggling to take their lunch break

New research reveals the lunchtime habits of UK workers and why many of us are choosing to eat ‘al desko’.

Despite nearly three quarters of employees agreeing that taking a full lunchbreak is good for their mental health (74%), diet (65%) and personal wellbeing (75%), still almost a third (29%) of Brits only manage to get away from their desk to take a full break two-three times a week.

The survey conducted by Flexioffices with 2,000 UK workers comes as Brits are kicking off their new year’s resolutions. With work pressures mounting up, many feel they can’t leave their desk at lunch in fear of slipping behind on their work.

Why we’re skipping lunch

The study discovered that employees worry they can’t complete their work if they leave at lunch (22%), particularly in the North West where over a quarter of employees (28%) say too much work is stopping them from having a proper break.

Others stay at their desk to make it appear they’re working hard (10%) and some fret they’ll be scrutinised if they leave (8%).

Not wanting to break the mould, some Brits don’t leave their desk for lunch because their colleagues don’t either (22%) and others think it will help them get a promotion (7%).

But if workers don’t take their lunch hour away from their desk, the results show it can negatively impact personal and work progression. This includes stress and happiness levels, productivity and concentration.

How workers feel when they don’t take their lunch break away from their desk:

• Like they have no time for themselves (23%)
• Mentally drained (22%)
• Stressed (21%)
• Unhappy (20%)
• Working too hard (20%)
• They can’t concentrate (18%)

Even though many workers skip their break, they agree taking time away from your desk is important for professional performance (68%) and concentration (74%).

Only half of employers encourage taking a lunch break (57%). Split by industries, IT and telecoms workers are most likely to be encouraged (72%), followed by HR (68%) and architecture and engineering (66%).

More than three-quarters of Brits (78%) do not have a breakout area to eat their lunch in. Over half of London workers (57%) agree they would take a full lunch break if they had a breakout area.

Jill Mead, Managing Director at TalkOut a voice for mental health in the workplace comments ‘Taking short periods of time to focus our thoughts and set intentions can be useful to keep stress levels down. It’s important to consider that, although you feel your senior management team will appreciate you working through lunch and keeping your head down during the day, it would most likely be more beneficial to take a breather, and reconnect with your thoughts.

When you take time away from more complex work, you can often see things from a different perspective, which may add even more value to the task in hand.’

What UK workers buy for lunch

When it comes to eating our lunch, workers in finance (20%), manufacturing and utilities (14%) and education (14%) eat the same thing for lunch every day. Those in more creative professions are least likely to be repetitive with their lunches with 96 per cent in arts and culture eating something different each day.

On the menu are meal deals (39%) and fast food (20%) with Brits buying these most frequently for lunch. Over a third (37%) are bringing in their own lunch to work each day.

Café chains are also a popular option, particularly for those working in legal where over half (57%) have this most often for lunch. Conversely, those working in the finance sector are most likely to purchase fast food for lunch than other alternatives (26%).

The south favours a supermarket meal deal with over half (53%) of people surveyed stating it’s where they buy their lunch most often. Further up in Northern Ireland, fast food is the most common choice (46%).

Concerningly, more than one in 10 (13%) find their workplace makes it difficult to be healthy and feel they’re encouraged to eat unhealthy food (9%). One in five admit to eating unhealthy snacks at work and some have a fizzy drink every day (16%).

Also a worry for our tea-loving country, nearly two thirds of employers (65%) don’t provide free tea and coffee despite nearly over a third of the UK (35%) drinking multiple teas and coffee a day.

Michael Dubicki, Business Director from Flexioffices commented “We can see from this research that despite many of us skipping lunch break or not leaving our desks, we know that this will have a negative impact on our work performance.

“Making use of facilities around your office, whether that’s a gym, a park or even a stroll into town will help alleviate pressures and give yourself a break from staring at a screen.”