Ask almost any working millennial about their work break, and you’ll probably hear half of them say, “Oh, I just eat at my desk.” Which means they chow down for 15 minutes, maybe pop out for a quick coffee, and come right back. In many offices, the general atmosphere of work-work-work keeps people shackled to their desks, and it’s kind of sad if you think about!
Workweeks are already too long, considering the long hours and the longer commutes. We let our work lives bleed into our everyday lives — especially since less of us have kids to get back home to, when compared to our parents’ generation. There’s no separation.
A brand new survey commissioned by a napkin company, Tork, found that millennials straight-up feel bad taking lunch breaks. But the most painful finding is that they desperately WANT lunch breaks. In fact, they want lunch breaks so badly that 16% of millennials said they’d take a 10% pay cut so they could get outside, take a deep breath, and a eat a dang sandwich away from their desks.
So, what’s an employee to do? When you see everyone else eating at their desk, how do you take a stand? When the culture isn’t exactly great about promoting a work-life balance, it can feel like you’ve done something wrong just by taking 30 minutes or an hour to eat your lunch like a civilized human being.
And if you’re working a 9-5 (more like 8-6, amiright?), you’re legally allowed to take that break!
The survey found that the millennials were afraid of being seen as lazy if they took a break. Part of the problem is that employers did admit to thinking their employees were lazy for taking a lunch break. Bonkers. Ironically, all the evidence points to increased productivity, better stamina, and better mental health if people were allowed to take breaks:
Last year, Tork created the National Take Back the Lunch Break Day, which falls on the third Friday in June. This year, it happens on June 21st. The idea? Post a pic of your lunch break and hashtag, #takebacklunch.
As Joy Bauer, who partnered with Tork, says, “Taking a regular lunch break can have a huge positive impact on your health and wellbeing!”
While this hashtag sounds like a great idea, it’s not going to reroute the uber-capitalist thinking of millions of people.
Generations of people attribute working oneself to the bone to personal value — as if taking 45 minutes to eat lunch is going to somehow diminish your worth as a human being! (And they say millennials are lazy. Ha!)
While millennials certainly have it hard here, it seems the work-yourself-to-the-bone culture is pretty common. Just look at Australia. They’re working overtime — billions of hours of it — without pay.
Aussies are working 3.2 BILLION hours of unpaid overtime! We also have 134 MILLION days of accrued annual leave and 3.8 MILLION of us don’t take a lunch break. Are you a part of these statistics? #9Today pic.twitter.com/17on3OlOBY
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) June 5, 2019
And the same goes for the United Kingdom. This is bad: “In today’s frantic and pressure-filled workplace, 68% of those surveyed justified skipping lunch, saying they had too much to do or an unexpected task to handle.”
56% of UK workers don’t take a full lunch break. 🍽 Here's why that’s not a good idea: https://t.co/P2jm6aDgKN
— Totaljobs (@TotaljobsUK) May 30, 2019
This is a good reminder that we are ALLOWED to eat.
The obsession with work is unhealthy. You can care about your job without costing your body and mental health — and we need to make this clear.
This is a pretty harsh statement, but it’s not entirely untrue. Take your lunch break.
As one Twitter user says, “Work never stops, but you do.” A good reminder.
Take a proper lunch break. Go outside for a short walk. Work in different rooms (if you can). Make a detailed to-do list and whoop every time you tick something off. Don't work for the sake of working - work never stops but you need to.
— Adam Gasson (@adamgasson) May 28, 2019
According to Saveur, several countries in Europe do passionately adopt a longer lunch hour — like the Spanish, who can take siesta for up to two hours. Though, there is talk to end the siesta — we dearly hope they do not.
I swear nothing is ever open in Spain because they take a siesta every 20 minutes!!
— Lauren Zaleski (@lauren_marie_50) June 5, 2019
French workers will definitely take at least an hour, although they’ve been known to take longer.
Say what you will, presidential candidate or not, the French know how to take a lunch break. No sandwiches in front of computer screens.
— Hala Gorani (@HalaGorani) May 6, 2012
In Greece, people have been known to leave work at 2 p.m. and come back around 5 p.m. In the middle, they ate and napped!
Already on your lunch break? How about a traditional Greek meze, “dakos”! #greece #athens #ttot pic.twitter.com/qIaSPJTDoD
— This is Athens (@CityofAthens) May 31, 2013
Over in Sweden, the “Lunch Beat Manifesto” is circling. It’s a set of lunch break guidelines that ask people to take a break mid-day. It includes dancing, eating, and not talking about work. Oh, Sweden!
The new trend is Sweden is clubbing hard during your lunch break. http://t.co/xMxz4S1h
— Complex (@Complex) April 2, 2012
In the end, it’s up to each of us to take our lunch breaks and encourage a culture that promotes this for others.
We work hard, and we deserve it.