Should We Take A Regular Lunch Break?
Unemployment Is Set To Rise Over The Coming Months
Last year was a tough one and we’re already off to a rocky start. Our friends and family have been placed on furlough, they’ve had their hours cut and have even been made redundant. With employers continuing to cut thousands of jobs, this will only leave masses of people unemployed and hunting for jobs once again.
The office for national statistics has said that it’s likely we’ll see even more people out of work in the coming months. But with many businesses closed, the job market is a hard one to penetrate during this current climate and many skilled and overqualified workers are lending their hand to job roles they never thought they’d be doing. But when people are pushed to their limits and they have bills to pay, sometimes it’s the only option.
Socialising With Your Colleagues Whilst Working From Home
For those that have been lucky enough to get work during the pandemic the recruitment process has been a completely different experience to what they’re normally used to. Interviews have been conducted via video call and applications are all handled online. Gone are the days when you’d walk to an office building and simply hand over your CV.
Plus with the majority of staff working from home, some employees might not ever get the chance to meet with their colleagues and employers. Without having any time in the office, staff could be finding it hard to bond and get to know their virtual team mates.
In what is already a challenging environment, communicating through a screen may seem like a doddle however with less human interaction this year, it might seem harder for us to know what to say or how to even begin a conversation that doesn’t involve work.
What Are Other Companies Doing To Help Boost Team Spirits?
Some companies have identified this problem within their business and have tried to tackle it head on. It’s been reported that some businesses are going the extra mile and have introduced Zoom lunch breaks into the working day. This is all in aid to get employees to get to know one another in a relaxed social setting.
Investment firm Wealthsimple, pays for lunchboxes to be delivered to its staff homes and encourages them to eat and socialise with their colleagues over a video call. Staff are given the opportunity to get involved, and can join in as and when they want to.
In what is an incredibly isolating and lonely time, these team lunch breaks are hoping to bring people together. The aim is to give staff some respite and friendly conversation. This gives people time to take a proper lunch break, and distinguish home life and work life, as this can be incredibly difficult the more we stay in the same environment. If things were normal, we’d take regular breaks, meet for a coffee, sit in the canteen, take a short walk. So things shouldn’t be any different just because you’re working from home.
Are We Taking Proper Lunches?
A work lunch break may seem slightly different now. With no clocking on or off system, or a boss to check up on us, has working from home killed the lunch break ?
We all know that if we take regular breaks, we work more effectively. It’s thought that 41% of British people are more likely to work through their lunch breaks now they’re working from home.
In normal times, working through your lunch break was something we did when we had an increasingly heavy workload. It seems there’s a need to be present and online at all times so you aren’t seen to be slacking. This includes replying to emails and messages within seconds of them landing in your inbox. This fear or anxiety has stemmed due to the fact that we don’t want people to think we aren’t working. Ridiculous, right?
We’ve come to behave in such a manner due to the digital world that we live in. Nothing is ever on stand-by so why are we? People are feeling guilty even when making themselves a hot drink or fuelling their body with food.
Instead of grabbing whatever’s closest and ordering unhealthy takeaway food, we should be making the effort to carefully consider what we’re eating. If you’re providing your body with key nutrients then we’ll feel more energized and refreshed throughout the working week. We’ll sleep better, be more attentive and our concentration levels will thank us for it.
Not only is it better for your health, but it’s also a legal requirement. Here in the UK, employees are entitled to one break at work per day if they work more than six hours in a day. So take that lunch break!
Take Your Lunch Break Today
So you can start making the change right now. Don’t prolong it and start on Monday, choose today. This can be the start of your new lunch hour, with no distractions on the side. Close your laptop, mute or silence all notifications and really take an hour off. You’re allowing yourself some well deserved rest, to recharge your batteries and get back to work once you feel energised.
A working day doesn’t mean non-stop work, you should be taking regular breaks. This internalised pressure that’s built up inside us needs banishing quite frankly and we should be endeavouring to focus on our overall health and wellbeing. You can thank us later.
How Ampios Can Help
But it shouldn’t just be up to employees to make the change. This pressure should be eliminated from the top down. If your seniors are skipping lunch, then they’re not showing the best example. Here at Ampios, we have a team of dedicated specialists that can help point you in the right direction. We can work with your people and can help align the overall vision and strategy of your company. If you need to get in touch, we’d love to have a chat. Give us a call on T: +44 (0)333 987 4672 or send us a message via our contact form.
