Though he’s been working as an investment bank analyst for more than a year, one NYC man said he only remembers ever taking two 20-minute lunch breaks.
“As crazy as it sounds, stepping away and being not responsive for more than 15 minutes can be seen as lazy and reflect poorly,” the 23-year-old, who asked to withhold his name for professional reasons, told The Post. “That’s just the nature of this industry.”
He’s hardly the only office drone scarfing down a salad at his desk. A recent study published by EZ Cater found that one in four Gen Z workers are worried that their employer won’t look favorably on them taking a lunch break. Amongst people of all ages, one in 10 employees say they never take a lunch break and almost half of workers eat lunch at their desks three or more times per week.
But there is a clear generational divide. While nearly half (48%) of Boomers say they never eat lunch at their desk, just 10% of Gen Z and 26% of Millennials said the same.
“I’ve been chased for things and emailed multiple times asking where I was at when I was sitting down for lunch with a different client,” said the analyst. “I just want my Chopt in peace.”
Jenna Bayuk, founder of career consulting firm Kinship Kollective, says an office’s lunch culture trickles down from management, which often signals to workers that stepping away from their computer to eat isn’t acceptable.
“[There’s] this unspoken perception … that if they dare to take that break it will be noticed as slacking,” she told The Post.
Employees who do actually take lunch breaks said they notice tangible benefits, including feeling less stressed (40%), more productive and able to accomplish more work (39%) and less burnt out (37%).
They also claimed it provides them with better mental clarity (47%), makes them happier (46%) and leads to more creativity in the second half of their workday (25%).
On a recent Tuesday, structural engineers Andrew Mannion, 24, and Shannon Chen, 23, soaked up the benefits of taking lunch in Bryant Park.
Although they said only about 10 to 25% of their co-workers ever leave their desks to take a lunch break, they make sure to step away and enjoy their midday repast every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday that they’re in the office.
“It’s a nice break and gives me a boost of energy for the afternoon,” Chen told The Post.