The current economic climate and unemployment crisis has moved work related stress to whole new levels, with commercial property employees eager to demonstrate how dedicated they are to their jobs in hope of saving them. However, this obsession with being the perfect employee can have some severe health related risks, as well as making employees financially undervalued by the commercial property companies they work for.
In fact, a poll of 1000 office workers found that a staggering 60 per cent of them ate their lunch at their desks, not even leaving their commercial property workplace so they could continue to work through their legally required hour. Furthermore, for those who do unshackle themselves from their desks, two thirds take 30 minutes or less to eat despite being entitled to a full 60 minutes.
In other words, most commercial property employees clock in an extra 128 hours per annum of unpaid overtime – amounting to a full 16 days extra.
Yet in many cases, even those who do take their allotted lunch hour cannot disconnect themselves from their workplace mentality, with almost a quarter using their lunch break to keep up with professional contacts or attend work related meetings outside the commercial property.
Associate Dean of Business Partnerships at Aston University, Dr Patrick Tissington, says that the health benefits of taking a break from your commercial property workplace and switching your mind from work related matters are incredibly important in avoiding becoming “burnt out”. He continued to say that people experiencing feelings of guilt for taking a lunch hour should remember that taking short regular breaks and moving around are vital, especially for those who spend the majority of their working day in front of a computer screen.
Dr Tissington added; “Resting or taking a break in the middle of the day helps to clear out the mind and prepares us for a productive afternoon.
“It doesn’t matter what you do during the lunch break as long as it’s something different.
“The feeling of guilt for taking a lunch break is a subject that is concerning and probably requires proper investigation.”
The study was conducted in conjunction with the CBD Food Festival, which this year will be held in Birmingham. It focused on commercial property employees, in particular those who have sedentary jobs in front of computers, and their lunch break habits.
As Dr Tissington said, it is also in the employer’s best interests to make sure their staff are eating a balanced lunch without rushing, as employees will return to the commercial property workplace feeling more clear headed and productive after refuelling on essential nutrients.
Director of Birmingham’s Colmore Business District, Ann Tonks, explained why some employees are afraid to take their legally required hour for lunch.
She said; “I think the ethos of austerity has deeply impacted our attitude towards lunch.
“I can pretty much point to the day in October 2008 when the economic downturn hit and the legendary expense-account lunches which ran late into the afternoon were curtailed significantly.”
Are you a commercial property employee who frequently skips lunch or hurries back to the office early during your break? Do you think this will end when the economy eventually picks up again or do you believe the days of the lunch hour are numbered?
