Key Takeaways
- More employees are reporting that they are skipping lunch at least once a week, and it’s making workers extra “hangry.”
- The report found that eating lunch is getting more expensive, costing employees an average of $108.68 a week, up from $88 per week last year.
- Gen Z is 35% the most likely to skip lunch than older generations, according to the report.
The rising cost of lunch at work is causing more employees to skip the meal altogether.
According to food tech platform ezCater’s recent annual Lunch Report, just over half of respondents (51%) reported skipping lunch at least once a week, up slightly from the 49% of workers who reported missing lunch at least once a week last year. One-third of employees reported skipping lunch twice a week or more.
The report, which was based on a survey administered in June among 1,000 full-time U.S. employees in onsite or hybrid roles, found that workers are spending an average of $108.68 per week to pack or buy work lunches, up noticeably from $88 per week last year. Employees buy lunch an average of 2.6 times a week, spending about $34.82 weekly, which marks a 26% rise from the previous year.
Related: Hybrid Workers Were Put to the Test Against Fully In-Office Employees — Here’s Who Came Out On Top
The report found that 94% of workers have noticed that taking a lunch break boosts their performance, but rising costs and work pressures have also prompted more of them to forgo the meal.
The trend disproportionately impacts Gen Z, the generation born between 1997 and 2012, who are 110% more likely than their older colleagues to say that their boss would disapprove of them taking a lunch break. Despite reporting feeling happier (56%) and less burned out (49%) after a lunch break, Gen Z is 35% more likely to skip lunch than older generations, according to ezCater.
According to a 2021 study published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International, a one-hour lunch break has a positive effect on employee health, performance and stress levels. The study also supported the lunch break as crucial for preventing absenteeism and improving attitudes towards work.
Related: Gen Z Is Helping Older Colleagues Learn How to Use AI at Work, According to a New Survey
Skipping lunch can lead to being “hangry,” the combined state of being angry and hungry, impacting productivity. Nearly nine out of 10 survey respondents told ezCater that being hangry at work negatively affected their job performance, leading to more mistakes when completing tasks (39%) and lower-quality work (31%). Gen Z reported feeling the most hangry, with 71% reporting feeling the emotion at work at least once a week.
“Our data shows that hangry workers are bad for business: 43% take longer to complete tasks, 38% report being blunt with colleagues, and 25% avoid interacting with their peers,” Robert Kaskel, Vice President of People at ezCater, said in a statement. “The best way for companies to avoid this and promote employee well-being is to create a culture where taking a break to have lunch is not only accepted, but encouraged.”
Another survey, published in August by Talker Research and based on responses from 2,000 employed Americans, revealed that 55% of participants skipped lunch on stressful days in an effort to be more productive. Many said they also forgot to take a lunch break because they were too busy. On average, respondents reported missing lunch twice per workweek.
Related: Meta Fires Employee Making $400,000 Per Year Over a $25 Meal Voucher Issue
Key Takeaways
- More employees are reporting that they are skipping lunch at least once a week, and it’s making workers extra “hangry.”
- The report found that eating lunch is getting more expensive, costing employees an average of $108.68 a week, up from $88 per week last year.
- Gen Z is 35% the most likely to skip lunch than older generations, according to the report.
The rising cost of lunch at work is causing more employees to skip the meal altogether.
According to food tech platform ezCater’s recent annual Lunch Report, just over half of respondents (51%) reported skipping lunch at least once a week, up slightly from the 49% of workers who reported missing lunch at least once a week last year. One-third of employees reported skipping lunch twice a week or more.
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