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Working from home could improve our eating habits, according to new research released today.
The research reveals that almost half of workers think they would eat more healthily if they worked from home, and 17% admit to having a very unhealthy diet at work.
The research, commissioned by Sterry Communications, the UK provider of voice and data products and services, questioned office-based personnel about their eating habits at work and how these might change if they worked from home.
One of the key findings was that most workers, 96%, tend to eat lunch at their desks at least once at week, while 42% said they are desk-bound for lunch every day.Just 4% of respondents said they never ate it at their desks.
Comparatively, almost two thirds of those questioned said they would be more inclined to take a proper lunch break if they worked from home. In addition, 62% of those questioned admitted to being prone to snacking when at work.
The main reason given for this was hunger (36%), but 25% said that it was due to peer pressure and blamed work colleagues for buying and offering around sweets and cakes in the office.
Almost 20% also cited boredom as a snack driver. Favourite snacking foods were crisps and biscuits, with 24% and 23% of respondents saying this, respectively.
This was closely followed by a more healthy option of fruit, at 17%.
As well as health benefits, respondents also thought they would be able to make financial savings on food if they worked from home.
More than 60% of respondents said they bought their lunch every day, with 31% spending between £3 and £4 a day.
In contrast, 33% of respondents said they could save between £1 and £2 a day, if they worked at home.
