One in three employees don't take lunch

UK workers' eating habits are suffering due to stress, according to research from the forthcoming Aviva Health of the Workplace report.

Although employees and bosses recognise the value of taking a lunch break for wellbeing, longer hours and workplace pressures are stopping staff from taking the breaks they need.

Significant barriers to taking a daily break remain, particularly when workers are under pressure. Nearly a third (30%) of employees say they are unlikely to take a lunch break, only a marginal improvement on the 37% who gave the same response in 2009.

A quarter (25%) will only take a lunch break if they feel their workload allows it, while 13% of employees skip meals in the workplace altogether. For some employees, stress results in other poor dietary habits, with 19% claiming they overeat at work. To help encourage better eating habits in the workplace Aviva has produced an online guide to healthy lunches. This can be downloaded at www.aviva.co.uk/ healthoftheworkplace.

Meet your local Aviva representative on Stand 64 at Health & Safety Scotland.