One in four people refuse to take a break at work

A new study has revealed that a quarter of employees are risking their health by working through the day without taking any breaks.

Are you reading this whilst checking your voicemail and eating a sandwich at your desk? If so you're not alone, as one in four people admit to working all day without a break.

A new study from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy has found that a quarter of employees are risking their health by refusing to take a break at work.

They also found that a third of people skip lunch in order to cope with their heavy workloads.

Regular breaks are needed for all employees, and not taking them can result in long-term illness, including back pain, obesity, heart disease, stroke and depression.

There is also a negative effect for employers, as poor working practices increase the risk of employees being signed off for long-term sickness leave.

‘Physiotherapists are concerned that overworking and not taking breaks is actually costing the employers and their staff,' says Phil Gray, chief executive of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

Nearly half of the people surveyed said their physical pains were a result of working in the same cramped position for a prolonged period of time, and 41% of these felt their pain was made worse by work-related stress.

‘Employees pay the price with their health and there is a cost to employers in reduced productivity and performance,' says Gray.

‘Work is good for us and can contribute to physical and mental well-being, but not when overworking means people don't have the time or energy to look after their own health or when staff are at work but are not fit for work'

‘These findings should ring alarm bells for employers,' says Ben Willmott, senior public policy advisor for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

‘A certain level of pressure at work is of course desirable.

‘However when the pressure people face regularly exceeds their ability to cope, in other words stress, it is likely to lead to time off work and is linked to conditions such as depression, anxiety and heart disease'

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