According to a recent survey, nearly 40 percent of Gen Z workers regularly skip lunch due to heavy workloads and guilt. It was reported that 47 percent of Gen Z workers miss lunch at least twice a week.

The surveyed Gen Z'ers feel four times more guilty about taking lunch breaks compared to how Baby Boomers feel, according to the survey. https://www.fox13news.com/news/gen-z-workers-skip-lunch-due-to-workload-guilt (Oct. 17, 2024).

Commentary

According to the source cited above:

Despite skipping lunch, Gen Z workers understand the importance of breaks. Every Gen Z worker surveyed agreed that taking a lunch break positively impacts their job performance. However, the guilt and workload pressures still lead many to forgo these essential breaks.

For managers and supervisors, enforcing breaks is important, including lunch breaks. Here are some reasons why:

• Many state and local wage and hour laws require employers to provide employees with breaks and to enforce them.
• Breaks allow employees to engage with each other personally, improving teamwork.
• Breaks give employees time to refresh, reflect and stay on-site. This helps keep employees engaged and avoids burnout.

The takeaway for managers and supervisors is enforce break policies and improve productivity and retention.