In most workplaces, employees are entitled to a lunch break to get a breather from the long day at work. A hardworking and dedicated workforce is a boom for any company, and every worker must be provided every opportunity to restore their mental and physical health.
Taking time to eat lunch is not considered an official work hour. There are no federal break laws that employers are bound to. Yet, every company should maintain its employee lunch break policy. Such a policy is critical in keeping workers as productive as possible and to prevent time misuse.
If your company still doesn’t have an employee break policy, this guide is for you. Read on to learn more on how you can create an employee friendly break policy at work.
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If your workers are not taking regular breaks, it will harm their well-being, and ultimately their work performance will decline. Making workers work without breaks may seem stellar, but it has negative consequences for employees and employers.
To maintain a positive workforce and encourage workers to take breaks, you must make efforts to let workers know that it’s alright to take lunch breaks. To ensure clarity, a comprehensive employee lunch break policy will help.
Here are some of the reasons to have a lunch break policy.
Maximizing productivity and efficiency means something other than making employees work continuously throughout the day. When you allow rest and meal breaks, it has a direct effect on task attention and productivity.
This has been shown to have a ripple effect on the sales and revenue within the company. An employee-friendly break policy encourages them to put their best at work, and a dedicated workforce is essential for any company.
Employees in a company with an ideal lunch policy tend to have fewer health conditions associated with long work hours. Stress and fatigue are the most common issues workers face if the working conditions are unhealthy.
For employers, an unhealthy workforce means increased absence rates, poor shift scheduling, and low production. A friendly employee break policy builds trust between employers and employees. It makes the foundation for a trustful relationship between employers and employees.
Meal and rest breaks keep the working environment stress-free, and you get a happy workforce. Happy workers proactively work harder and give their best, which improves product and service quality. It is an intangible benefit that increases and improves productivity in the long term.