Brits are giving away up to £29 billion worth of work a year
A poll of 2,000 adults in full or part-time employment found those who have a lunchbreak typically take only 70 per cent of their allotted time – and those who don't take their full break end up skipping it entirely twice per week.
For someone in full-time employment, who works an average of 233 days per year and based on the average full-time salary, this is effectively £1,012 worth of time annually they're forgoing.
Nearly half (46 per cent) say this is because they have 'too much work to do', with other reasons identified as feeling pressured to go back to work (23 per cent) and not seeing the point because they don't have enough time to go anywhere (21 per cent).
And more than a third (35 per cent) deemed their lunchbreaks 'too short' – with the average amount of time given to them during a workday only 39 minutes.
To give working Brits back their afternoon breaks, bakery brand, St Pierre, set up a 'respect zone' in Potter's Field Park – paying homage to the sacred lunchbreak and urging Londoners to 'eat avec respect'.
It has been designed to transport lunch-breakers to Paris, encouraging workers to 'do as les Français' – who are notorious for making the most of their slow-paced and leisurely lunches.
A spokesperson from the brand said: 'Lunchbreaks shouldn't be a luxury – and especially not something we feel pressured to forego.
'Even though life is busy and work is important, we need to remember to take time out for ourselves to really get that break we need – and go back to work energised, refreshed, and satisfied by a delicious meal we were able to properly savour.'
This is clearly needed, as 22 per cent believe we don't respect our midday meal enough in this country, especially compared to others in Europe – with Spain (33 per cent), Italy (28 per cent), and France (27 per cent) the most enviable.
Respect was also missing from their employers' attitudes towards this sacred time according to 23 per cent, with four in 10 declaring employers should encourage all staff to take their full lunchbreaks.
But even when those polled do manage to take time for a midday meal, over half (51 per cent) often do something work-related, such as checking emails or answering calls.
This may be because 52 per cent admitted they tend to stay at their desks during lunch, even if not doing work – with a popular alternative being mindlessly scrolling through social media (42 per cent).
And of those who do work through this period, over a fifth (22 per cent) admitted they would find it hard to break the unhealthy habit if they were given the chance.
This revelation comes despite 37 per cent agreeing regularly not taking a lunchbreak can lead to burnout and can negatively affect work performance (28 per cent).
As a result of these non-existent lunchbreaks, food choices also suffer – with 42 per cent rating them as 'average', or worse, according to OnePoll.com data.
The phenomenon also leads to lunchtime being a solitary affair in the UK, with 38 per cent revealing they typically spend this time alone, despite just under half (46 per cent) saying they would enjoy this time much more if they ate with others.
St. Pierre's spokesperson added: 'It's a sad state of affairs that our main break during a long day of work isn't really being treated as one – and that we can't seem to switch off even when given permission.
'There's something to be learned from the French here – taking that moment to really unwind and enjoy a delicious meal, without thinking about other things.
'We're also missing a prime opportunity in our everyday lives to connect with other people over good food and conversation.'
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