The People Bulletin

Last October The People Bulletin reported on the problem of the vanishing lunch break[1]. A forthcoming survey has shown that far from disappearing the problem is still on-going, and as a result of stress and pressure at work employees nutrition is suffering.

According to the Aviva Health of the Workplace report although employees and bosses recognise the value of taking a lunch break, longer hours and workplace pressures are preventing staff from taking the breaks they need.

The report shows that:

• 25% of employees will only take a lunch break if they feel their workload allows it; and
• 13% of employees skip meals altogether.

Bad nutrition

The survey found that employers do recognise the importance of lunch breaks and eating well. Nearly half (43%) of workers are encouraged to take a lunch break as employers recognise the value of a good work/life balance.

Although it seems that for many, food options in the workplace are somewhat limited. Of those employers who offer food in the workplace (45%), over a third (38%) mainly offer unhealthy options.  As a result, employees try to keep themselves healthy with over a third (35%) stating they try to eat healthy food and 30% usually bringing in their own healthy lunches.

However, for some employees, stress results in other poor dietary habits, with 19% claiming they overeat at work.

Health and eating well suffer when workloads are high. As a result of longer working hours, nearly 15% of employees believe their health is affected because they are eating unhealthily at work.

Dr Doug Wright, head of clinical development at Aviva UK Health said:

“It’s well documented that eating more healthily can improve general wellbeing and life expectancy, so there are countless benefits to adopting this approach in the workplace. It’s also important for people to take a break from their desks where possible as this can help improve both morale and efficiency for employees.

“Employers can help by offering healthy food options to support and encourage their staff to eat well, and by removing those barriers that still exist to taking a proper lunch break. Employees too need to break the habit of skipping lunch or eating at their desks. A cultural shift in the workplace towards proper lunch breaks will improve overall employee wellbeing as well as productivity”.

www.aviva.co.uk

[1] ‘Is lunchtime still on the menu?’ in The People Bulletin, 6 October 2010.