No such thing as a stress-free lunch?

We were prompted by an article featured in The Conversation which showed 30 per cent of British workers eat at their desks, while 44 per cent eat alone. The highest rates in Europe, these findings were contrasted with the situation in France, which has a labour regulation that bans workers from eating lunch in the workplace. Bon appétit!

Well, it proved a popular talking point for Stress Awareness Month, a bit of a hot potato you might say; certainly, something for you all to chew over. Pulling in nearly 1,300 votes, the snap poll saw nearly 87 per cent of those who responded vote ‘Yes’.

And you came up with a full menu of comments on the matter.

Getting away from it all – just for a while

Not like the old days

For Steve Swygart CMIOSH, the question prompted a bit of a nostalgia trip, comparing the “poor canteen facilities” of today with a previous era of work canteens serving hot meals and weekly social events.

Joys of working from home

James Brown offered a picture of home-working bliss.

It's a cultural thing

Matt Keary, who works in health and safety behavioural management, works with colleagues of different nationalities and says the Brits tend to eat at their desks, not even resting from keyboards to follow their ‘Must work harder’, ‘Must be more productive’ mantra. He contrasts this with workers from other countries (yes, especially the French!) who always make the effort to eat in the kitchen/dining area and have a chat and a catch-up.

Research released last year by Compass Group, a leading food services company, and global market intelligence agency Mintel, showed that the length of time workers spend on their lunch break varies considerably by country. From 54 minutes in China – one of the world’s fastest growing economies - to half-an-hour in the UK (even though 73 per cent of UK workers said that taking a lunch break makes them more productive) and little more than 20 minutes in Poland. As much as 10 per cent of UK workers said they take no breaks at all during their whole working week.

Clear breaks

The IOSH view on lunch breaks is very clear: employees should be encouraged to take them and other regular breaks to maintain their physical and mental health. This means taking some rest and NOT taking work phone calls or emailing for work while enjoying a proper lunch.