More Millenials A Skipping Their Lunch Breaks

Millennials are skipping their lunch breaks for a disheartening reason. The traditional one-hour lunch break is going out of the window because Millennials fear being viewed as lazy if they take a break from work.

The fear of “lunch stigma” was revealed by Tork, a company that manufactures napkins used in food service. Tork found that Millennials are three times as likely as Baby Boomers to say they worry about coworkers questioning their work ethic if they take a lunch break.

What gives? Are Millennials suffering the consequences of stereotypes about Millennials being lazy and entitled? That’s part of it. Skipping lunch, Tork found, is part of Millennials’ strategy to get ahead at work. Many believe that skipping lunch will lead colleagues to view them as hardworking and dedicated, the survey discovered.

However, skipping lunch or wolfing down a sandwich at your desk can have a negative impact on work productivity, says nutrition expert Joe Bauer. Bauer is teaming up with Tork to create the “Take Back The Lunch Break” campaign, which urges Millennials to develop healthier habits.

“Choosing to eat a nutritious lunch is only part of the equation to living a healthy life at work,” Bauer said. “What you eat matters, but where you eat matters just as much, and eating a so-called ‘sad desk lunch’ could make you feel unhappy and less productive.”