Lunch at Work: Hygienic Practices for Eating in the Office

Hands up who has eaten at their desk. Phew, that’s a lot of you. It’s common practice. But could it be doing more harm than good?

Research shows that the average desk has more than 10 million bacteria living on it. Did you know that’s 400 times more bacteria than you’d expect to find on a standard toilet seat? The workplace hygiene facts might be tough to swallow, but the numbers don’t lie, and they underscore just how important it is to address eating at work.

We’ll guide you through the practical solutions for maintaining a clean and healthy office environment so you and your team can enjoy your lunch and snack breaks without fear!

Eating At Work

Work-life moves fast these days. With the high-pressure environments of modern workplaces, most workers need to multitask wherever they can to stay ahead of their workflow. Typically, this means employees choosing to dine at their desks.

This isn’t a problem for most offices, as good nutrition and frequent breaks make for a happier, healthier workforce. Whether due to time constraints, convenience, or comfort, eating and snacking at the desk has become widely accepted, if not even encouraged.

But of course this meeting of work and eating brings with it some unique challenges, especially in the realms of hygiene.

The biggest issue is the high-touch surfaces within your office. Things like desks, keyboards, door handles, and communal spaces all become sources of spreading bacteria when food is present. During lunch breaks, dangerous microorganisms can be easily and quickly transferred from surface to surface and from employee to employee. 

Add to that the likelihood of accumulated food debris and residue, and you have a potential hygiene and allergy hazard, working together to compromise your workplace hygiene. You can imagine the daily buildup of sandwiches, salads, crisps, and snack bars eaten over a keyboard, creating a breeding ground for germs and crumbs. 

This gradual, slow accumulation of germs can be more difficult to eradicate, as objects with small parts like a keyboard and a computer mouse can become greasy, dirty and contaminated without even being visible to the naked eye. 

The Cost of Unhealthy Practices

In the rush of daily work, your team might eat at their desks and simply wipe away any debris or mess, thinking they have cleaned their space sufficiently, but this isn’t the case.

The workplace is covered in invisible germs and contamination.

Neglected remnants of food left on shared surfaces can pose a serious concern for your employee’s health and safety. The transfer of germs can happen quickly and often without anyone realising they are spreading contaminants. 

And if germs weren’t enough of a risk, lingering behind on surfaces and touchpoints without any visible signs, there’s a chance of allergic reactions when eating in the office. 

Food residue left on surfaces can trigger allergic reactions, particularly in shared areas like kitchens, tables, chairs, and light switches. This can pose a serious concern for well-being, as allergic reactions can cause dangerous emergency situations. 

Your staff become more vulnerable to the spread of illness too. If a team member touches an unclean, contaminated surface and then proceeds to eat lunch at their desk, they can ingest bacteria. This can lead to a higher frequency of illness, spreading quickly around the workforce and causing more sick days and lower productivity.