Office lunch tips: Reclaim your break and boost productivity

LUNCH al desko is a pathetic hallmark of contemporary life. Here’s how to break that bad habit and reclaim your hard-earned lunch break.

girl on laptop at window

Australians have an admirable work ethic, often skipping our hard earned lunch break in the spirit of getting more things done. But we could be making things even worse for ourselves.

IF YOU work in an office, chances are you have probably eaten at your desk a couple of times in the past week.

The typical lunch ‘al desko’ looks a bit like this:  hunched over, blank stare,  one hand on the mouse, the other one shovelling food into our gob, inevitably spilling crumbs on to the keyboard. Us overworked Aussies inhale our lunch; god forbid anyone to peel themselves away from the desk and take a walk outside in the sunshine during their lunch break.

I am guilty of this most days.

Intellectually, I know prying myself away from the desk to take a proper lunch break will make me a more productive, happier worker.

But here’s the thing: I do it anyway.

And I’m not alone.

Professional recruiting firm Hays Australia recently surveyed 1253 professionals and asked how much of their designated lunch break they take on average. Just 28 per cent said they took their full lunch break most days. One quarter (25 per cent) said they take around three-quarters of their daily designated lunch break on average. Shockingly, 7 per cent said they never take a break.

It's the grim reality for Australia's army of professional workers, despite 93 per cent admitting that their productivity benefits from taking a break away from the office at lunchtime.

There’s no doubt breaking for a midday meal might have made sense back in the day when Australia famously rode to prosperity on the sheep's back, and shearers needed to give their bodies a break. But these days, a lunch break might not feel as hard-earned.

Nick Deligiannis, managing director of Hays in Australia and New Zealand, says while a lunch break in today's corporate world might feel counterintuitive, office dining is a false economy.

“A lot of people experience an energy slump around 3 pm, but stepping away from your desk at lunchtime can help avoid this and increase your afternoon productivity,” he says. “You’ll come back refreshed after going outside to eat and stretch your legs. It will also help reduce your stress levels and improve your attention span.”

Rachel Service, founder of corporate coaching Happiness Concierge, says knows all too well the result of our over-zealous approach to work, having encountered burnout three times in her past working career.

She says taking quality breaks are crucial throughout the day, rather than opting for one, leisurely lunch break.

"What our clients tell us is the traditional ‘lunch break’ simply looks different," she says. "Instead of moving away from the computer or to do list for an hour, we’re seeing an increase in shorter coffee breaks for networking and increasing internal visibility with team members and then grabbing a quick snack to eat locally or at their desk."

The idea that shorter, more frequent breaks is good for productivity has been around for a long time. In 1999, Cornell University's Ergonomics Research Laboratory used an automated computer program to remind workers to take short breaks. The project found "workers receiving the alerts were 13 per cent more accurate on average in their work than coworkers who were not reminded."

Ms Service says burnout happens when workers feel pressure to be ‘always on’ and to maximise their face time, so their boss will notice their hard work.

“The irony being, of course, that when we don’t take a break, we are far, far less productive,” she says. “More rested workers are more productive. What we know is that it’s less about the length of the break and more about the quality of the break that sees workers return to be more productive and energetic.”

Quality breaks can include time taken away from work altogether;  catching up with friends, spending some time alone, limiting screen time, walks and talks or exercise. Greenery in the office has been proven to decrease stress levels, but nothing beats a walk in outdoor greenery.

If you really are tight on time, opting for something you can eat on the go, like a wrap, is a good solution.

“The benefits of reclaiming your lunch break will give your mind a rest and your body the chance to refresh, refuel, and set yourself up to slay the rest of the day,” Ms Service says.

Rachel’s four tips to help reclaim your lunch break:

START A LUNCH CREW

“Many of us are more accountable when there are other people involved. Perhaps team up with a few colleagues and commit to taking a lunch break together or taking it in turns to go out and grab lunch for your colleagues and eat together in the office.”

BOOK IT IN

“Make a reservation at a nearby restaurant or call ahead for an order of your favourite smoothie and salad combo to make sure you get that backside out of your chair and get the blood flowing.”

BATCH IT UP

“One of our favourite time-management and productivity hacks is ‘batching’. Batching is a powerful tool for those who are new to taking breaks to feel they deserve time out. It involves dividing your days into tasks that require certain parts of your brain to improve productivity. For example, your first hour of work might be dedicated to emails, the following two hours devoted to strategising or planning, an hour for lunch and the afternoon for meetings and management.”

MAKE IT PART OF THE CULTURE

“We know we powerfully bond with people over food. At Happiness Concierge, our work is project-based, so we often have team lunches and dinners after an assignment. It’s a chance to regroup on what worked well, what we’d do differently and to high five each other on a job well done as well as to have a laugh.”

Bottom line: take that quality break, even if it feels counterintuitive. If you really feel like you can’t take your full designated break, start with 20 minutes. Grab something you can eat quickly and on the go, give your legs a stretch and do anything but work.

As for me, I'm about to peel myself off my seat, disconnect from the work emails and head outside to grab my lunch and eat it in the park with a colleague. Sounds rather civilised, doesn't it?