Sandwich and a Siesta - Longer breaks and a light snooze, London workers adopt European lunchtime habits, says survey

Maybe it's the allure of the shops, the restaurants or the gyms - but London's workers have been found to take 25% longer for lunch than their colleagues elsewhere in the country. Avanta's London Worker Index, a survey of 1500 people in the capital conducted by the city's leading serviced office provider, also found that a remarkable 24% of male workers report using their lunch break to take a nap, although the trend affects fewer female colleagues, with only 14% admitting to using their lunchtime to snooze.

Research shows that a break from work can positively influence both productivity and wellbeing, whilst simply ploughing through and dining 'al desco' can actually lead to workers completing less work at a lower quality level. In addition to catching forty winks, the survey found that 54% of London workers use their lunch break to go shopping, whilst a similar number (52%) run errands. More than a quarter (27%) visit the gym and over a third (28%) meet up with friends.

However, not every Londoner is quite as lucky. Almost a quarter (23%) of Londoners skip lunch three or more times per week, and one in ten don't take a lunch break at all. Those in hospitality, catering and restaurants take the shortest breaks in London, with an average of 22 minutes: just over half that of those working in media and journalism (42 minutes). Taken as an average, the typical Londoner spends 35 minutes on lunch: a full 9 minutes longer than most workers around the country.

Alan Pepper, CEO of Avanta Serviced Office Group, said: "We work in one of the most vibrant and connected cities in the world - and it shows. Workers across this great city are taking the opportunity to have a change of scene, shop, expand their personal network and make time for old connections - it's good for them, and it's good for productivity."

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