No wonder your desk is so messy

The other day, we received a press release on a new survey that indicated that fewer than half of employees take a lunch break away from their desk.

The news came from talent and career management firm Right Management, which in partnership with LinkedIn, asked 2,311 employees: “Do you take a break for lunch at work?”

Only 47 percent of respondents said they always take a lunch break away from their desk. Twenty percent said they take a break, but usually at their desk; another 19 percent answered “from time to time,” and 13 percent said “seldom, if ever.”

It may come as no surprise, but 53 percent of C-suiters and VPs said they always take a break. And overall, men take more breaks than do women (49 percent v. 42 percent).

Youth also was a factor—57 percent of those ages 18-24 say they take a break. Breaks declined with age, dropping to 45 percent for those 55 and older.

So—assuming you are a fed who spends all of your time in an office environment (and not in the field, on patrol or on a mail route), what’s your story? Are you a hopeless desk jockey? And how do the results detailed above jibe with your experience?

(In the spirit of full disclosure, the author of this post is eating a lunch of leftover pasta as he types this.)