More employees in Australia ditching lunch breaks

Skipping lunch breaks and working through midday has become a widespread habit among office employees in Australia. Out of 1,000 full-time employed Australians aged 18-65, 77% of them admitted to either skipping or working through their lunch breaks during a typical workweek. Only 23% of the respondents reported taking their full lunch breaks.

Heavy workloads were cited as the main reason for not taking lunch breaks by 42% of office employees. Additionally, 29% mentioned a lack of time for food shopping, while 23% found the lunchtime options near their workplace too expensive. Even remote employees were not exempt from this trend, with 58% of office employees reporting working from home at some point during the week, and 31% of them admitting to skipping their lunch breaks.

Melani De Sousa, Founder of The Wellness Workshop, said, “Although skipping lunch breaks might initially feel more productive, we know that in the long-term this can lead to faster burnout and higher stress levels, thus reducing workplace performance, impacting mental health and increasing staff turnover,” reported Mirage News.

The study by YouGov, commissioned by Youfoodz, also revealed that 80% of office employees experienced positive feelings when they did take breaks, feeling energised (27%), more productive (23%), creative (16%), and engaged (12%).

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Emphasising the importance of breaks for productivity and wellbeing, De Sousa highlighted the need to address negative workplace cultures and encourage employees to prioritise and plan for breaks. She said, “Evidence shows that most humans can only get two hours and 53 minutes of productive time before they need a break, with regular breaks proven to prevent decision fatigue. Breaks also enhance employee engagement, job satisfaction and overall work-life balance whilst further boosting creativity.”