Allow Employees to Lunch to Improve Productivity

British businesses which allow their employees a full one hour for lunch are likely to be more productive.

Research by Bupa revealed that over six million British employees are eating lunch at their desks with only 30 per cent taking an hour lunch break away from the office workspace.

Over a third of employees feel pressured to work through their lunch hour by their line managers and half of workers think they are too overworked to be able to take an hour break at lunchtime.

Employees who do not take an hour lunch break are physically suffering as nearly half are much less productive after three o'clock and this can result in a lost 40 minutes due to feelings of fatigue.

This loss in productivity is causing British business to lose nearly £50 million everyday and employees who are deprived of lunch are likely to be more irritable and under-motivated.

Dr. Jenny Leeser, Bupa Clinical Director of Occupational Health, said that while allowing a full hour for lunch is not always the most appropriate way to improve productivity, it was the responsibility of employers to motivate their staff.

She said: "In challenging economic times, the UK work force is in overdrive and the lunch break is falling by the wayside.

"Best practice is for employees to take breaks -often in the form of a change of activity- at regular intervals throughout the day to help stay alert and focused."

Dr Lesser went onto say that because so many employees were missing lunch, they were finding other ways to refuel and were drinking large daily amounts of caffeine which can result in insomnia and dehydration.

Employers should have a water cooler in the workplace as this will give their workers an alternative to tea and coffee which can lead to dehydration and a loss in concentration and productivity.

Businesses require a healthy workforce to stay productive so it is important to communicate regularly with employees about how to improve fitness and morale as this feedback can be vital to maintaining good relations between managers and staff.

Managers should encourage their employees to get up from their desk every half an hour and stretch as this will reduce stiffness and tension and increase concentration and engagement.

Large companies can experience a happier and healthier workforce if they introduce free gym membership as an employee benefit but this is not always affordable for all businesses.

Businesses which are unsure how to enhance morale and productivity should employ the services of performance improvement consulting experts.


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