The British ‘tea and biscuit break’ is slowly becoming a thing of the past

The great British tea and biscuit break is becoming a thing of the past, with 15 per cent of workers ‘not allowed’ to have one.

A poll of 4,000 adults in employment found seven in 10 take under 15 minutes of breaks (outside their lunch break) a day and 43 per cent take under 10 minutes.

They blame their lack of down time on the size of their workload (47 per cent), too many meetings (25 per cent) and receiving a constant stream of emails (23 per cent).

And 36 per cent don’t believe their employers do enough to encourage them to take breaks.

Despite this, 93 per cent believe it’s an important part of the working day, with 42 per cent feeling more energised after stopping for a short break, and 41 per cent more motivated.

While 38 per cent feel less stressed.

And 76 per cent think their performance would be impaired without time away from their usual nine to five.

Taking necessary breaks

Furthermore, 74 per cent believe having a tea break will allow them to get to know their colleagues better.

With 33 per cent stating they don’t even know all the names of the people they work with – which is highest amongst 18 – 24 year olds (39 per cent). 

McVitie’s is rallying to reinstate Britain’s workplace breaks, supporting the 72 per cent of the UK’s 32.8 million employed who would like to see the implementation of a daily 15-minute tea break in their place of work.

To do this, they have launched a modern spin on classic tea trolley which comes with a PA system and a countdown clock to ensure breaks never get missed again, as well as being stocked with a selection of biscuits to ensure everyone’s dunking preferences are met.

Aslı Özen Turhan, spokesperson at McVitie’s UK & Ireland said: “It is so important we find the time to take breaks during the working day.

“Just a short 15-minute break can improve wellbeing and connections with colleagues, which we witnessed among the McVitie’s workers who recently took part in trialling a daily tea and biscuit break.”

Reinstating the British tradition

The survey also found two thirds (66 per cent) enjoy a biscuit with their tea break, while four in 10 find the most enjoyable part of having a bit of time away from their work is the peace and quiet.

However, 35 per cent think people take less breaks now than when they first started out in the working world, thanks to more demanding jobs (45 per cent) and their time being stretched more thinly than ever before (44 per cent).

Leading the campaign to bring back workplace breaks is Martine McCutcheon, who urges Brits to reinstate their ‘tea and biccy breaks’.

The McVitie’s trolley will embark on a tour of the UK, with workers able to win a visit to their office next month accompanied by the Love Actually and Eastenders star.

She said: “As someone who loves her tea and biscuit breaks, I’m so excited to help reinstate this treasured tradition for the hard-working people of Britain.

“I’ve had my fair share of long workdays throughout my career and know how important it is to make sure you take the time for a break.

“Whether you fancy a cuppa and a biccy for some time to yourself or a quick catch up with colleagues - these moments can turn around a stressful day. So, let’s bring back the biscuit break.”

Having analysed 26 different industries, the study, carried out via OnePoll, found salespeople are taking the smallest amount of time for tea breaks in a typical working day – at 9 minutes and 47 seconds– followed by those in the charity sector at 9 minutes and 52 seconds.

And interestingly, men spend three minutes and 10 seconds longer on breaks throughout the day than female workers - which is more than 13 hours longer a year.

While those in Belfast set aside the longest time for a break from work, Norwich came out as the least generous to themselves.