Employees Who Lunch: Improving Office Culture, Wellbeing & Productivity
Published 16 June 2025
In the US, 98% of workers say lunch breaks boost performance, and 51% report greater happiness when taking regular lunch breaks (ezCater, 2024), yet many still eat at their desks or skip lunch altogether. Now, employees are reclaiming the lunch break as an opportunity to eat well, socialise and get outside. Notably, companies are encouraging the trend, seeing clear benefits in wellbeing, workplace culture and productivity.
As return-to-office mandates rise and work-life balance continues to gain importance, many workers are approaching lunch as a moment to unwind and connect with colleagues. The 2025 World Happiness Report linked shared meals with greater happiness, suggesting communal lunches can boost colleague relationships. Meanwhile, 69.5% of American workers say they want stronger bonds with their colleagues (Nectar, 2025).
Smart companies are providing lunches to improve company community and office attendance. British/American design agency Pentagram provides chef-made lunches for its employees daily, while British ad agency WWP offers free-lunch Fridays. Abbie Lahiffe, Pentagram’s Head of HR, tells Stylus that daily lunches strengthen colleague relationships: “[Lunch is] a time of genuine connection, we learn about each other’s lives, backgrounds, perspectives and traditions.” Studies show that providing lunch motivates staff to show up at the office in person – nearly six in ten US hybrid workers say they would work on-site at least three days a week if lunch were provided (ezCater, 2024).
But many workers are eating at their desks as workers face busy schedules and hope to increase their productivity. The percentage of people who eat lunch al-desko stands at 62% in the US (Hartman Group, 2024) and 28% in the UK (IOSH, 2024). Meanwhile, 49% of American workers skip lunch at least once a week due to workload or meetings (ezCater, 2024). However, with studies showing that a proper lunch break increases productivity rather than decreasing it, more companies would be wise to incentivise mid-day breaks – especially as employee engagement declines.