CareerWrap

Sunshine Good News For Business

Most people are enjoying plenty of sunshine by taking a break away from their office at lunchtime. But did you know that more than just enjoying the last of the summer heat, these breaks help improve your productivity?

We recently asked almost 600 Australian employees about the effect lunch breaks and annual leave have on their productivity. We found that taking a break away from the office at lunch, whether for five minutes or your full entitlement, improves your productivity. Despite this, more than half of the people we spoke to said they still eat lunch at their desk rather than leave their office and a similar number said their productivity would be enhanced if they were able to choose their own break times.

In a revealing trend two in five people we spoke to said it shows increased commitment to their employer to take less than their allocated break.

Our survey also found that the average designated lunch break is 45 minutes with employees generally taking 60 per cent of this time. One in five employees take all their allocated lunch break while a similar amount take one quarter or less.

The survey also looked at annual leave and found that over half of all respondents do not take their full annual leave entitlements. Yet one in three said their productivity is affected by not taking all their leave. Over two thirds said productivity is compromised when they can not take leave when needed, but over half said there are restrictions on when annual leave can be taken.

There are times, such as peak workloads and end of month or end of year requirements, when annual leave may not be available and full breaks may not be taken. However generally speaking, taking a lunch break and taking regular annual leave can lead to not just higher productivity, but decreased stress and absenteeism. Breaks help to create a productive, healthy and safe working environment.

So take a break this lunchtime - enjoy the last of the summer heat and watch your productivity increase!