It’s not always easy to take a “real” break at lunchtime. Some colleagues take the opportunity to continue talking about work, which doesn’t allow them to really unplug. Others take time out to do some physical activity on their own, but this is not necessarily welcomed by the rest of the team, whose gregarious instincts take over… Here’s what our readers have to say.
“My real break is a 30-minute walk alone, every lunchtime. No phone, no music. I need silence between two meetings. Then I eat something quick. The real break, for me, is more what you get rid of in stress than what you eat,” reckons Thomas, 45, working in architecture-urban planning.
Mathilde, 38, a content manager, says that “in my company, there are sometimes ‘lunch meetings’. It doesn’t bother me from time to time, but they’re on break time, we don’t finish any earlier and what’s more, lunch isn’t provided.”
“It’s worse when teleworking”
“I try to do at least one proper lunch a week to cut down. Otherwise, I dilute my workload by spilling over a bit into lunchtime so that I’m not working under constant pressure. It’s a relief because there’s much less pressure on you at that time. It’s worse when you telework: contrary to what management imagine, cutting out lunch is very difficult,” reports Isaac, 40, sales manager.
For Adrien, 28, working in the financial sector, “before, lunchtime meals with colleagues were a real moment to decompress. Now, even at the table, we talk about planning, clients, tensions… It’s more relaxed than in the meeting room… but we’re still in the work loop, all the time.”
“I do sport at lunchtime twice a week. Gym, quick shower, sandwich afterwards. It’s the only possible window in my day. I’m more efficient in the afternoon, even if I sometimes come back to meetings out of breath,” says Marc, 46, a lawyer.
For some people, the lunch break perfectly reveals the reality of day-to-day work. (Illustration: Bernard Hage)
“A short digestive walk manages to disconnect me a little but, without this walk, I don’t see any real disconnection. Unfortunately, I have already sacrificed my break to work, yes… But very rarely,” confides Mélissa, 28, events project manager.
“The break is sacred”
“I like to eat outside my office, away from work. But every now and then, a lunch with pleasant colleagues is nice. The break is sacred! If it’s shortened, then I leave earlier in the evening,” testifies Alex, 27, working in marketing communications.
Simon, 25, is a waiter. Working in the restaurant business, he says, “there’s no such thing as a lunch break! You eat before the service, and nibble a bit afterwards. At first I found it hard to eat so early, at 11 a.m. or 6 p.m., but now, when I’m off duty, I’m always hungry before everyone else.”
“In my team, the lunch break is almost a social marker. If you’re gone too long, people look at you strangely. As a result, everyone eats in 20 minutes. I sometimes try to break this rhythm, but the implicit pressure is real,” laments Yan, 32, a strategy consultant.
Anecdotes, experiences, surprises… Share your stories at temoignage@paperjam.lu before the dates indicated. In future issues, we’ll be exploring new themes: routines and habits for staying focused at work (to be sent in by 15 March), and your worst job interview experiences (by 1 April).
This article was written for the March 2026 issue of Paperjam magazine, published on 25 February. The content is produced exclusively for the magazine. It is published on the site to contribute to Paperjam’s comprehensive archive. Click on this link to subscribe to the magazine.
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