Almost three quarters of Austrian employees take a lunch break almost every day, about one in ten almost never, and 15 percent do so irregularly. The break time is mostly characterized by colleagues and a visit to the canteen. On average, the well-deserved time-out lasts around 40 minutes. Satisfaction with one's own job is enormous: people are particularly satisfied with their own colleagues, their state of health, the content of their tasks and the working atmosphere. None of the aspects queried are rated negatively, although supervisors and managers should act even more strongly in the area of leadership. Slightly more than one-third generally enjoy their work very much, and another third no longer seem to be fully but at least still strongly emotionally attached to their work. In the morning and in the forenoon one is particularly motivated, in the evening after the work is done one is rather tired. As a rule of thumb, lunch breaks are essential for productivity and a positive attitude toward work, and with colleagues company, they have a particularly positive effect.
What Ovid already said about the break thousands of years ago - "What knows no temporary rest is not permanent", - is just as true today in the working world. This quote sums up the current state of scientific knowledge. Regular breaks are necessary; the lunch break in particular and the way it is organized have a significant influence on the productivity and well-being of employees.
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