Healthcare company Bupa is urging workers in the UK to reclaim their lunch breaks and spend some time away from the desk and out of the office space.
The company recently completed a survey which discovered that the dipped productivity which results from workers not taking a lunch break costs the economy up to £50 million a day.
It is now encouraging people to leave the workplace and relax for an hour at lunchtime so they can be more motivated in the office space later in the day.
Almost half of all workers say their concentration plummets mid-afternoon if they do not take a proper break, but more than a third of those surveyed said they felt pressured to stay at their desks because of high workloads and management expectations.
Many then turn to high-caffeine drinks and sugary snacks to keep them going, the survey said.
Workplace Health and Safety Advice suggests that taking breaks is important for both productivity and health and safety reasons. The website advises that employers should structure breaks around the type of job an employee is doing.
