EMPLOYEES IN THE NORTH WEST LEAST LIKELY TO SKIP LUNCH BREAKS

30% of employees skip lunch breaks. But employees in the North West are least likely to skip a lunch break with 33% saying they never do. 38% of employers across the UK who offer food do not offer healthy options. Yet 43% of employees say bosses encourage lunch breaks in a bid to look after staff health.

UK workers’ eating habits are suffering due to stress, according to research from the forthcoming Aviva Health of the Workplace report¹. Although employees and bosses recognise the value of taking a lunch break for wellbeing, longer hours and workplace pressures are stopping staff from taking the breaks they need.

Significant barriers to taking a daily break remain, particularly when workers are under pressure. 30% of employees say they are unlikely to take a lunch break, only a marginal improvement on the 37% who gave the same response in 2009. However on a more encouraging note employees in the north west are least likely to skip a lunch break with 33% saying they never do

25% will only take a lunch break if they feel their workload allows it, while 13% of employees skip meals in the workplace altogether. For some employees, stress results in other poor dietary habits, with 19% claiming they overeat at work. To help encourage better eating habits in the workplace Aviva has produced an online guide to healthy lunches. This can be downloaded at:- aviva.co.uk/healthoftheworkplace.

Aviva also found that employers do recognise the importance of lunch breaks and eating well.  43% of workers are encouraged to take a lunch break as employers recognise the value of a good work/life balance.  Although it seems that for many, food options in the workplace are somewhat limited. Of those employers who offer food in the workplace (45%), 38% mainly offer unhealthy options. As a result, employees try to keep themselves healthy with 35% stating they try to eat healthy food and 30% usually bringing in their own healthy lunches.

Health and eating well suffer when workloads are high. As a result of longer working hours, nearly 15% of employees believe their health is affected because they are eating unhealthily at work.

Dr Doug Wright, head of clinical development, Aviva UK Health says:- "It’s well documented that eating more healthily can improve general wellbeing and life expectancy, so there are countless benefits to adopting this approach in the workplace. It’s also important for people to take a break from their desks where possible as this can help improve both morale and efficiency for employees.  Employers can help by offering healthy food options to support and encourage their staff to eat well, and by removing those barriers that still exist to taking a proper lunch break. Employees too need to break the habit of skipping lunch or eating at their desks. A cultural shift in the workplace towards proper lunch breaks will improve overall employee wellbeing as well as productivity."

The Aviva Health of the Workplace report canvassed the views of employers and their staff on issues relating to workplace wellbeing. The results provide a snapshot of current issues and concerns relating to health in workplaces around the UK. The full report will be published by Aviva in September 2011.

Southport Weekender 48 TICKETS ON SALE

TICKETS for the Southport Weekender 48, that will run over 11 May to 13 May 2012, are going General Sale one minute after Midnight (GMT) Wednesday, 31 August 2011! The team at the Southport Weekender have told us that:- "We anticipated 25th Anniversary Weekender at the superb Butlins Holiday Resort in Minehead Somerset will sell out very fast. Full Details of all apartment types and sizes are available on our website. As always the earlier you book, the more choices are available and the better the standard of apartment you will be allocated. It is particularly important you book early if it's eg. a 2 person (Twin or DBL) apartment you would like as these are limited and if it's a self-catering apartment with extra lounge area and kitchen, as only about 60% of the site features these. FREE Sunday Night Stayover and After Party tickets are still available, but these are limited to 2500 places that we have been allocated and will be issued on a strictly first come first served basis. Once this allocation has been completed we cannot do anymore. 2012 will be a very special year for us and we will be celebrating our 25th Anniversary in style at our wonderful new home of Butlins Holiday resort in the quaint little village of Minehead Somerset We have already begun the process of putting the Line Up together and as always we welcome your own personal views and suggestions of what and who you would like to see at our 25th Anniversary."

Busy Bank Holiday weekend at JLA might break all records

THE August Bank Holiday period is set to become one of Liverpool John Lennon Airport’s (JLA) busiest ever, with around 76,000 passengers expected to be travelling through the airport this weekend, close to the previous record.

The poor British Summer is likely to have contributed once again to the increases in passenger numbers seen in recent months through the airport combined with the many great value flights currently available from JLA.

This year low cost operators easyJet and Ryanair have been operating to more summer sun destinations than ever before with a number of new holiday resorts featured for the first time. With almost 100 departing flights to 21 Mediterranean resorts this weekend alone, thousands of passengers are expected to pass through the airport.

JLA’s busiest August Bank Holiday weekend to date was in 2007 when almost 80,000 passengers travelled through the airport and numbers are expected to come close to that record this weekend.

In addition to more flights for passengers in search of some European sun and sea, hundreds of destinations are available across the world via Amsterdam with KLM’s regular connecting service from Liverpool too. Whilst those looking for short city breaks also have a wide choice available this year.

Robin Tudor, Head of PR for Peel Airports, commented:- "Once again I’m sure the poor British Summer will be tempting the region’s passengers to spend time away from the UK in search of some prolonged sunshine. The great choice of value for money flights and increased destinations looks like proving irresistible for many. In addition, the growing international reputation of Liverpool’s Mathew Street Festival this weekend will no doubt bring over many visitors from overseas into Liverpool too."