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Can the work lunch make a comeback?

In these trying times, employers, employees, and small businesses all need one thing: a lunch break.

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Illustration by Kate Walker

Can the work lunch make a comeback?

 

The Future. In these trying times, employers, employees, and small businesses all need one thing: a lunch break. Considering the economic and cognitive benefits of not eating at your desk while going through emails, the vibe shift happening at work may include a new appreciation for lunch (without having to go full Mad Men).

Deal at the deli
Bloomberg argues that the work lunch is ready for a post-COVID renaissance.

  • Not that lunch was going so swimmingly prior to COVID. 60% of workers ate at their desks, more than half ate alone, and a third barely ever took a lunch break.
  • That’s a shame because lunch breaks are actually pretty great for you.
    • A Finnish study found that workers who took a real lunch break (away from their desks) returned with “increased energy” in the afternoon.
    • A study out of Babson College found that people are better at their jobs on a full stomach than those who work while hungry.
    • Now that remote and hybrid work is the norm, a lunch break with other employees is proven to build trust and kick off collaboration.

So, forget the impossible-to-schedule breakfast meetings and the almost-never-casual dinner meetings… maybe it’s time to hit up Mendocino Farms while the sun is high.