next »

[forum admin]

The 'lunch hour' is on its way out, with almost 90% of workers no longer taking their allocated midday allowance.

This is according to a survey by Employment Law Advisory Services (ELAS) which is urging bosses to save the lunch hour. Peter Mooney, the firm's head of consultancy, said: "We are calling for a return to common sense here. Employers must realise that staff staying at their desk may appear eager and committed but if they fail to take a decent break during the day that could have an adverse effect on the who31le business."

The ELAS survey discovered that only 12% of Britain's office staff bother to take a full hour away from the office for lunch, while just over half took less than 30 minutes.

As well as indigestion, experts believe eating food at their desks increases the opportunity for unhealthy bacteria to thrive.

However, Mike Emmott, employee relations adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, said that the idea of the lunch hour seemed "curiously dated".

Speaking to HRZone.co.uk, he said: "Under the working time regulations, adult workers whose daily working time is more than six hours are entitled to an uninterrupted rest break of only 20 minutes. We want everything bite sized these days - including our lunch breaks. But 20 minutes for lunch, 20 minutes for internet shopping, and leaving 20 minutes early may offer a better work-life balance for many people than a rigid one hour for lunch. We shouldn't be forcing people to take an hour for lunch any more than we should be preventing them from taking the breaks they need to recharge and remain effective through the working day."

[Robin Tetley]

Working from home the lunch hour is a thing of the past for me and in the last job I did working for a taxi firm we didn't get breaks (no really, none at all) so I haven't known a "traditional" lunch hour for a few years now. Flexibility is the thing surely, if somebody wants to take a shorter lunch and potentially finish earlier then that's the ticket.

[Bob]

Where I am you can either have 45 minutes lunch and three 15 minute breaks a day or an hours lunch and two 15 minute breaks a day. I've always gone for the hour. I like to be able to pop into town and look around the shops. To switch off from work is a good and healthy thing I think.

[Robin Tetley]

Flexibility is the key. I'm very blessed to be able to be very flexible  .