UK workers feel 'pressured' to skip lunch to manage workload and meet deadlines

A new study has found that four in 10 office workers never take their full hour-long lunch break, with a survey of 1,200 employees revealing that nearly 23% feel 'pressured' not to take this time off.

On top of this, a third are skipping lunch to manage office duties like jotting down notes or updating timesheets.

The research highlighted that 22% have missed doctors' appointments due to work commitments encroaching on their personal time, and one in five couldn’t attend their kid’s school event.

Other forfeits made for work include ditching exercise, not meeting someone for lunch or even putting off dates.

The survey reported that heavy workloads (53%) and pending deadlines (37%) were prime culprits for not indulging in a lunch break.

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Neil Sawyer, who manages Northwest Europe market—the company behind the study—said: "Everyone is entitled to a lunch hour, but it seems many aren't taking it as they should."

He added, "But while it might seem like you are too busy to take a break, you can end up feeling more refreshed and therefore more productive than you would if you worked through."

Looking to the future, he noted, "AI is set to be a significant driver of change in the future of work, increasing productivity and allowing workers to enjoy their jobs more by taking simple and repetitive tasks off their plates."

HP is unveiling an AI-powered PC designed to cut down on admin time for office staff, with Sawyer expressing hope that: " this will free up some time to allow more people to take the lunch break they are entitled to."

Nearly half of those polled confessed they feel more refreshed if they fully take advantage of their lunch break, and a quarter even assert they feel more productive afterwards.

On the flip side, that survey also shows that some workers miss it intentionally, as 6% admitted they skip it to seem busier, while 4% do so in a bid to bag a promotion.