More than a quarter of UK workers are so short of time that they are now eating breakfast at their desks as well as missing out on their lunch break.
A survey of more than 2,000 workers, conducted by pollsters 72 Point on behalf of the Travelodge hotel chain, reveals that UK staff tuck into 161 breakfasts every year at the office – the equivalent of more than two-thirds of weekday breakfasts consumed by adults during their working lives.
This means UK workers will work their way through more than a billion bowls of cereal, bagels and pieces of toast in front of a PC every year.
Reasons cited by respondents for eating breakfast at work, include wanting to catch up on sleep, spending time on chores and getting ready, rushing to get into work extra early and having their hands full with children.
The study also found workaholic adults will eat nearly half their weekday meals at their desks, making Brits more likely to eat with work colleagues than with friends or family during the week
Christine Webber, psychotherapist and life coach, said: “It used to be lunch at your desk that was the norm, but the sad fact that more Britons are now also eating breakfast at their desks because they don’t have time at home in the mornings can only lead to more stress in the workplace.
“Skipping breakfast is crazy as it leaves you feeling lousy and irritable mid-morning. It doesn’t even save you calories as sugary snacks are a favourite breakfast replacement. All a chocolate bar will do is bring on a quick burst of energy, compared to the slow-release energy you’ll gain from a bowl of porridge, for example.”
Professions most likely to eat their meals every day at work:
1. Solicitor 44.4%
2. IT manager 21.5%
3. Project manager 19.8%
4. Call centre staff 19.4%
5. Journalist 17.6%
