Employees take far shorter lunch breaks than bosses realise – with almost half of workers saying they don’t have time to leave the office.
A YouGov survey for private health insurer PruHealth revealed that 62% of employers believe all their staff have a full lunch break at least three times a week – while only a third of employees actually do.
One in five workers said they never take their full lunchtime allowance, and 45% said they don’t leave the office.
PruHealth sales director Dave Priestley said: “There’s a gap between entitlement and reality when it comes to lunch in the UK workplace.
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“While it is understandable that occasionally people need to work through lunch to meet deadlines, it is important for employees to get into the habit of taking a break.”
A full lunch break is important to re-energise, refocus and eat healthily, all of which benefit both the worker and the company, according to Priestley.
