What you do during your lunch break could have effects you hadn’t considered.
A new survey from staffing company OfficeTeam found that nearly half of workers have 30 minutes or less for their lunch breaks, and suggests that many employees aren’t putting that brief time to its best use.
Nearly half (48 percent) of workers interviewed said their typical lunch break lasts 30 minutes or less. More than four in 10 (42 percent) reported that, aside from eating, they spend the time socializing with colleagues, while 29 percent admitted they work during lunch breaks.
Eddie Payne, marketing and sales manager at Robert Half International, said that rings true among the workers his staffing company places. In tracking their hours, he said an increase in overtime can sometimes be attributed to an employee working through his or her lunch breaks. Rather than pause their work, many people simply eat at their desks and continue laboring. But Payne suggests that people use their breaks differently.
“I think the key to it is if it is going to be short, do something that’s not related to your work,” he said. Walking away for just 10 or 15 minutes can be beneficial, and socializing with co-workers can build a positive culture in an office. Taking care of personal tasks and exercising are also good ways to recharge.
That said, an uptick in hiring locally signals an atmosphere where keeping it short might be necessary.
“If the labor market tightens up a bit, people are more conscious of what they’re doing for lunch,” Payne said. “If you’re competing for a job or a promotion, do you want to be the person that takes an hour and a half to go to lunch?” People at their desks – even if they’re only checking personal email – appear to be working or at least look available.
“I would certainly be conscientious about taking a long lunch or being off site for a long time,” Payne said.
