On Taking A Lunch Break
I’ll admit it. I rarely eat lunch at work. There just simply is no time to sit and pound down a sandwich, much less venture to the 100-people long line that is the food court.
It turns out that I’m not alone. Studies have suggested up to 82% of employees don’t take their legally-entitled lunch breaks.
Why are people eating at their desks when, without a doubt, we know better?
Even pets take a lunch break
Though the number of people not taking breaks surprises me (I didn’t realize it was the vast majority!), the concept seems highly aligned with the work hard culture of the office. This is a widespread belief that to achieve progression in the workplace (which might yield more compensation or prestige) work must be done 24/7, taking extra assignments or unpaid overtime.
The reality of breaks are self-evident, and include:
Increased work productivity, creativity and overall performance
Increased well-being (and guarding against burnout)
Better concentration, and reversal of decision fatigue.
Health benefits, including reduced chances of heart disease, obesity, depression, diabetes, etc! (Thanks for the shaming reminder that I haven’t moved this hour, FitBit!)
Unfortunately, cupcakes are not a health benefit of lunch
A newly published study from the Journal Psychology and Health by Mike Oliver and team from Staffordshire University propose some answers to why we are skipping breaktime.
They found that most people sat between the two extremes of never taking a break and always breaking for lunch, most with the attitude that having a lunch break needed to be pre-scheduled into the calendar like a meeting.
Although participants were well aware of the benefits of taking a lunch break (i.e., those bullet points above), feelings of guilt outweighed the good health hygiene of a break, citing how taking too much time away was a risk.
Another key finding from the study was how influential relationships with managers, or the company in general, are to eating lunch. Many claimed that without a proper place to go take a lunch break, they were eating lunch at their desk as the only viable alternative. But eating lunch at your desk makes you look more available for work tasks. Finally, the boss has an impact. Those who felt little or no pressures from their manager to skip lunches were less likely to skip lunch breaks.
Same goes for gluten free cookies
Much of this – from the design of the office to the culture of the corporation – correlates with other findings that support a no lunch-break trend in Western culture. A workplace survey or North American bosses and employees conducted by Tork found that 20% of respondents worry that their bosses won’t find them hardworking if they take lunch, and 13% worry their coworkers will judge them – matching the perception by 22% of bosses that employees who take a regular lunch break are less hardworking. Just shy of 40% of respondents don’t feel encouraged to take a break, though those who do take a regular lunch break scored higher on a variety of job satisfaction metrics included in the survey.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, I tried something new. I made a point of scheduling a recurring meeting in my calendar to give myself at least a 30-minute break in the middle of the day between on average 8 hours straight of calls where I couldn’t leave my desk. This blocked time was not always respected, but highly necessary, to take care of things in the house like feeding my puppy. It definitely took me some time to wrestle with the shame of, well, being human. But this is a tactic I intend to continue and encourage you all to try your own tactic if you are (perhaps indirectly) pressured to put work before health.
The Perfect Break
Want to take a break that most effectively refreshes you and your mind, and restores your productivity? Try this:
Take a short walk. Increased blood flow helps refresh the body, it also isn’t taxing on the brain. Also, research has shown a connection between walking and creativity.
Find some nature. Nature can help reduce anxiety and calm your nerves to a peak performance state.
Find yourself a healthy snack. And some water! Maybe your blood sugar was low or you’re dehydrated.
Meditate. Often we feel too time-pressed to take breaks, or anxious because of stressful work situations. But this stress can be overwhelming and have a negative impact on our performance. Taking a moment to engage with mindfulness, take some deep breaths, and refocus can help you tame these feelings.
Take a break with a colleague. Colleagues are humans too. Maybe they could use your encouragement to take a break, and you can get to know each other better!
Dr. D’s reply will be delayed for the next 30 minutes as she goes to get herself a coffee!
With love and snacks,
