Why the lunch break is going extinct

Well, it turns out giving up your lunch break could actually diminish your productivity, causing you to end up putting in more hours in the long run, not to mention what it does for your health and well being. “I joke sometimes that smokers are the healthiest people in the work place these days because they get outside,” says Brown-Volkman.

“Your brain needs to rest,” she adds. “Sometimes, in order to concentrate you have to think about something different, get a way from the problem. Sunshine is good for the body, mind and soul.”

And Joe Takash is a business consultant claims lunch breaks can “help boost creativity and profits.”

This may be a good selling point for your boss if you’re one of those workers who want to reclaim their right to a lunch.

Here are some other ways to convince your boss you need time to dine, from psychologist and corporate consultant Kevin Fleming:

• "Make it an informal setting for a discussion of some important work topic best done 'offsite.'  Bosses love this. Shows not that you want your lunch back, but that you are astute to office politics and have good boundaries."
• “Make it a 'leadership lunch.'  Tell your superiors it is an alignment lunch to get folks on the same page and to make sure they are making them richer faster.”
• “Convince them that the lunch break makes you more productive. Be a 'Columbo' [the 1970s TV detective] and show them data that compares these two camps. Many times corporate America is used to hard data so speak in a language they will understand.”
• “If all else fails, make a low blood sugar scene of dramatic proportions.”

There is no federal law that provides for lunch or coffee breaks, but some states may have provisions. “California law does require that employers provide unpaid meal periods after five hours of work, as well as rest periods, for most employees,” says Greg Mersol, a Cleveland attorney with Baker Hostetler.  Here’s a Web link to some state provisions.

We all need to bring back the mid-day break.

And don’t forget to eat something, demands Kathleen Hall, a stress and work-life balance expert. “Food boosts mental and physical productivity and regulates moods. But don’t just eat anything within reach. Eat foods that boost brain activity like Salmon or blueberries. Foods can also fight anxiety, stress and panic, which is good if you’re having an especially difficult day.”

Now just in case you are still daydreaming about my relatives in Greece and their three hour lunch extravaganza, things are changing even in that laid back country. Unfortunately, the nation has moved closer to the U.S. model of a 9 to 5 workday in recent years. 

Well, not everyone. On my last trip there, my uncles, aunts and cousins were still toasting to life over long lunches and squeezing in their midday siestas.

Opa!

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