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News

Lunch Breaks Are Not a Thing Anymore, Especially for Gen Z Employees

By:
Karen Sibayan
Published Date:
Oct 23, 2024

 

GettyImages-956292532 Restaurant Friends Food Meal

The Business Journals reported that almost all employees agree that lunch breaks are a great way to relax and recover in the middle of a workday, although only a few workers actually take them. 

ezCater conducted a survey of  5,000 full-time U.S. employees about their lunchtime habits. An overwhelming majority of participants, 98%, agreed that lunch breaks enhance job performance. Employees cited joy, mental clarity and the opportunity to take a respite from the workload as advantages of taking a break for lunch. 

However, the survey also showed that younger employees are much less inclined to take a break. Close to half of Gen Z workers (47%) stated that they miss lunch at least two times each week, compared to just 18% of baby boomers. Millennials were also guilty of not taking lunch breaks as they are the second most likely to miss lunch at least two times a week, at 38%, followed by Gen X at 27%. 

Even when Gen Zers reserve time on their schedules for a lunch break, 75% say it is used for other purposes, including meetings or work assignments. This is compared to only 21% of baby boomers who stated their lunch break is unexpectedly taken up by another task. 

Gen Z workers are also more likely to feel guilty when they take lunch breaks, at 17%, compared to only 4% of baby boomers. Meanwhile, 12% of millennials and 9% of Gen X workers feel guilty for taking a lunch break. 

The survey revealed that lunch breaks are not just about gathering staff together. They can also motivate workers to come into the office, with 58% of hybrid workers stating that they would work on-site at least three days a week if their company offered lunch. 

Part of the reason for this is that employees spend an average of roughly $282 a month on lunches and food at work, according to ezCater. Also, 78% of employees said inflation has changed their lunch habits, which could mean choosing cheaper lunch options, purchasing lunch less frequently or slashing their lunch budgets. 

Even when workers bring in their lunch, 83% of the workers surveyed said they don't end up eating at least some of those lunches, and 29% said they have had their food stolen from the office fridge. 

Other surveys have found that some workers would be more willing to come to the office if some associated costs were defrayed. 

Eighty-three percent of respondents to a survey by communications platform Ringover stated that they would return to the office if their company paid for their commute. 

A survey of 1,441 workers by leadership-coaching firm BetterUp showed that staff required to return to the office spend an average of $561.06 monthly on work-related expenses, including food, transportation and child care. 

The disconnect between employees and their managers over remote and hybrid work only worsens, with companies becoming more insistent on getting workers to return to the office. That even means offering increased monetary incentives for in-office workers. Robert Half's 2025 Salary Guide finds that candidates willing to work in the office more regularly are probably offered higher pay.