Has the great British tea break gone cold?
The mid-morning tea break was once the cornerstone of the British working day. However, the workplace and its practices have changed, and the traditional, 10-minute “tools-down” cuppa has become the latest casualty. It’s a shame, because a cup of char with colleagues can be the equivalent of the peace pipe, helping to break down the barriers between new and veteran employees. And for 72% of women, a tea break leaves them more refreshed and therefore more productive, says the Tea Council. But such testimonials don’t cut it with the Engineering Construction Industry Association, which sees the mid-morning brew as an impediment to productivity. The ECIA hoped engineering construction workers would accept a new national agreement that included a provision scrapping mandatory tea breaks. That agreement has been rejected in a union ballot, raising the possibility of industrial action. Scrapping tea breaks seems to be at odds with research showing that regular breaks, particularly those invol
