In the United States, young employees are reluctant to take a lunch break

Young Americans tend to skip lunch breaks when they’re in the office, risking their productivity, reports the channel’s website CNBC which relays a survey conducted by zCater, specialist in corporate catering, with a panel of one thousand employees working in various sectors of activity.

While the vast majority of employees surveyed believe that a lunch break is essential, one in ten employees never take one and 70% of them eat on the go while continuing to work at least once a week, shows the investigation.

But it is in “generation Z” that the greatest number of employees are recruited, who regularly give up their lunch break: one in four young professionals is reluctant to leave their workstation in the middle of the day so as not to give a “bad image”. A quarter of entry-level professionals say they don’t have “no time”. They are 19% to explain that they have “too many meetings” at lunchtime and 27% say they completely avoid breaks during their working day so they can leave the office earlier.

Senior executives set a “bad example”

But the productivity criteria are not the only ones in question, points out CNBC. “Many American employees, especially young people, find lunches at the office too expensive for them.” According to the ezCater survey, 67% of young workers spend at least 11 dollars (10.60 euros) for their lunch. Eating in the office three to five times a week can therefore cost up to $50 a week. “The median salary of Gen Z workers is $667. [645 euros] per week while the median rent in the United States is $1,876 [1 816 euros] per month. Which leaves young professionals around $792 [766 euros] before tax to manage the rest of their monthly expenses: transportation, insurance, student debt, phone bill, food, etc.

Since June 2021, the cost of groceries in the United States has increased by 12.2% and the overall cost of food (including restaurant meals) has increased by 10.4%, points out CNBC.

Finally, the zCater survey shows that when it comes to lunch breaks, American senior executives are a counter-example: 56% of them admit to eating on the run at least three times a week while continuing to work.

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