Is the lunch hour dead? 71% of Welsh workers don’t take one

 The average lunch break is now just 28 minutes in Wales and only 15% of its workforce take a full lunch hour, according to research from Mastercard and Ipsos MORI.

• A hardcore 8% of workers in Wales never or hardly ever take a lunch break.
• Two thirds of workers (65%) don’t leave their workplace to eat lunch.

Margaret Mountford, businesswoman, lawyer and star of The Apprentice is backing Mastercard’s research and urging British businesses to bring back the lunch hour. She said: “Throughout my career I’ve seen employees hunched over their desks wolfing down a sandwich. It makes workers less productive, hampers creativity and numerous studies have shown it’s bad for health, so why do we still do it? Bosses should lead the way by encouraging a culture of lunch breaks – it will boost productivity, creativity and morale as workers feel better and take on the afternoon revitalised. It’s time to stamp out the culture of not taking a lunch hour.”

Three in five (62%) bring a packed lunch and 44% say they never eat out for lunch during the working week, the highest figure in the country. When asked why they didn’t eat out for lunch more often, 43% say they don’t have the time.

Qkr with Masterpass saves diners on average 12 minutes, as they can pay the bill from their smartphone at restaurants like wagamama, Zizzi, ASK Italian and Carluccio’s. They can also split the tab, order items and add a tip.

Scott Abrahams, Mastercard said: “New technology means it’s never been easier to get out and have a good meal during your lunch hour – with our Qkr app diners can save 12 minutes by paying the bill on their smartphone. Research shows getting out of the office for lunch is good for health and productivity, so it’s time more of us took a break.”