Take a break to increase productivity

Workers in offices and industry who don?t take a lunch break work slower and less accurately in the afternoon compared to colleagues who take at least 30 minutes away from their workstations.

Findings by an air conditioning installation and servicing company show that people who eat away from their desk also tend to mix more with their colleagues, creating a friendlier working environment.

While people who take lunch at their desks think they?re ?getting things done? through not taking a break, airconuk.co.uk says they lose mental sharpness and are more inclined to make simple mistakes.

Airconuk.co.uk spoke to more than 1,350 workers in both office and industrial environments and found:

? 23% ate their lunch at their desks or work stations
? 18% didn?t take a lunch break at all
? 36% took less than their allotted time for lunch
? Only 23% took their allotted lunch break
? Additionally, 41% said they didn?t take permitted tea or screen breaks during the day, while 28% said they felt ?resentful? of smokers who took multiple breaks during the day to have a cigarette

Workers who didn?t take lunch breaks told the company why they preferred to stay at their desks and a variety of reasons were cited, including:

? ?I?ve got too much work to do?
? ?The boss guilt-tripped me into working harder?
? ?I don?t get on with my co-workers, I?d rather not eat with them?
? ?There?s nothing to do round here, might as well sit at my desk?