Study Shows Correlation Between Employee Engagement and the Long-Lost Lunch Break

A new Tork survey demonstrates the importance of lunch breaks, which are a rare occurrence in the North American workplace, reports Forbes . About a fifth of polled North American workers are concerned their bosses will think they are not productive if they take regular lunch breaks, and 13 percent worry co-workers will judge them negatively. In addition, nearly two-fifths do not feel they are encouraged to take lunch breaks, and 22 percent of North American bosses think employees who take a regular lunch break are less hardworking. Furthermore, almost 90 percent of North American employees say taking a lunch break helps them feel revitalized and ready to return to work. Among the wellness and performance benefits of regular breaks are higher productivity, improved mental well-being and mitigation of stress, better creativity, and additional time to practice healthy habits such as diet, exercise, meditation, or self-care. The survey also found employees who take daily lunch breaks feel more valued by their employer, and 81 percent have a strong desire to be an active member in their organization. North American workers who take a lunch break every day scored higher on various engagement metrics, such as job satisfaction, likelihood to continue working at the same company, and probability to recommend their employer to others.