Working through lunch may be good for you University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management studied workers Found they felt more tired if forced to work through lunch Felt less relaxed if socialising while boss is around Autonomy, and allowing workers to recover, is key Employees who work through lunch appear less tired at the end of the day if they had the freedom to choose how they spent their break. According to a new study, socialising over lunch may not be the best way to unwind during the day if it's with the wrong crowd. Those who spent their lunch mingling with co-workers, or if the boss was around, felt less relaxed at lunch and more tired at the end of the day. Working through lunch may not be so bad, especially when employees choose to do so without pressure This is because conversations may be about work, and employees may be more careful about what they say and the impression they make with their colleagues, according to John Trougakos, an associate professor and co-author of the study. Researchers at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management concluded working through lunch may not be so bad, especially when employees choose to do so without pressure. 'We found that a critical element was having the freedom to choose whether to do it or not,' said John Trougakos, an associate professor and co-author of the study. Researchers asked employees what they had done during their lunch breaks over 10 days. They then followed up with the participants' co-workers to report how tired their colleagues appeared by the end of each workday. The authors found that while working through lunch did result in employees appearing more tired, the effect was reduced when employees felt it was their decision. 'Researchers maintain organisations that don't provide opportunities for their workers to recover from work during the day risk lower employee effectiveness and productivity, leading to burnout, absenteeism and higher staff turnover' The study revealed that socialising also led to higher levels of fatigue, which researchers attribute to whether or not workers feel free to decide if they want to socialise and who they're socialising with. Relaxing activities during lunch, freely chosen by workers, led to the least amount of reported fatigue at the end of the day. Trougakos said while many might assume lunchtime socializing is a good way for employees to relax, that's not necessarily the case if they mingle with other employees in the company cafeteria or if the boss is around. In those instances, Trougakos said conversations may be about work, and employees may be more careful about what they say and the impression they make with their colleagues. 'You're hanging out with people who you can't necessarily kick back and be yourself with,' Trougakos said. Workers may not relax if they mingle with other employees in the company cafeteria or if the boss is around Regardless of how it is achieved, researchers believe organisations that don't provide opportunities for their workers to recover from work during the day risk lower employee effectiveness and productivity, leading to burnout, absenteeism and higher staff turnover. The study, co-authored by University of Toronto Ph.D. student Bonnie Cheng, and professors Ivona Hideg of Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, and Daniel Beal of the University of Texas-San Antonio, is scheduled to be published in the Academy of Management Journal.