Employees in Britain are working harder than ever, with only half (52%) taking a break at lunchtime, according to new research from BACS. More than a third of workers (39%) claim that they take fewer breaks today than a few years ago. Workers are leaving the office for 36 minutes on an average lunchtime, when they take a break at all.
Further findings from the research include:
– Men take more lunch breaks than women. 52% of men take one each day compared to 42% of women;
– Just under a quarter of women (23%) never take a lunch break compared with 11% men
– 40% of employees say that they eat lunch at their desks;
– Of those interviewed, only 5% spend their lunch break in the pub, although this rises to 10% in the West Midlands