Break for Lunch
Take a stroll through the office around lunchtime on a given day and you might be surprised by the number of employees you see having a desktop picnic.
Approximately 70% of Americans eat lunch at their desks several times a week, according to the American Dietetic Association. And thats not really a good thing. Whats wrong with keeping the break out of lunch break ?
The sanitation factor. Scarfing down a sandwich on a germ-infested desk (and most of them are) is just asking for trouble.
A working lunch doesnt provide the opportunity to get out of the office for a much-needed dose of fresh air and sunshine, or at least a change of scenery. Even the busiest employees can benefit from short respites from the daily toil. Eating lunch away from work can improve attitudes, sharpen focus, and replenish energy.
Desktop dining can thwart healthy eating habits. For harried workers, the goal of lunch often becomes easing midday hunger pangs as quickly as possible in order to get more work done. This makes it easier to give in to the call of the vending machine or the nearby fast-food joint, which in turn makes it easier to mindlessly consume empty calories. Setting aside a break for enjoying lunch helps ensure that the focus will be on what and how much is being consumed.
What you can do:
For employees who find it especially difficult to tear themselves away from their computers, suggest that they commit to lunching outside the office a couple of days a week. It might help them to schedule these slots of time in advance, so that a lunch break becomes a planned part of their day. This way the lunchtime window wont close while theyre too engrossed in their work to notice.
If possible, organize the occasional group lunch outing. This not only gets everyone away for a pleasant break, but also encourages staff interaction and bonding. It might even foster some regular lunchtime companionships.
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