Several articles in the press recently have picked up on the number of restaurant and café closures in France. The restaurant trade is now third in the French bankruptcy stakes after house-builders and estate agents, with 3,000 establishments going into liquidation in just three months earlier this year.

As exemplars of work life balance with ‘two-hour lunches and a 35-hour working week’, Europeans seem to be worried that, with the French example gone, the credit crunch will move us all towards being workaholic automatons doomed to shake crumbs out of our keyboards every lunchtime.

Perhaps France is moving away from its cultural roots but does it matter? As many people commented following the articles, the Brits do all right on a cheese and pickle roll at their desks. Don’t they?

French or British, we could be sacrificing more than we think…

As research indicates, workers without a break are operating on a principle of “diminishing returns” regarding their energy and productiveness. By late afternoon you may be putting an awful lot in and not getting much out.

One other important element that the French lunch offers is the opportunity to build meaningful relationships at work. This is a key factor in job satisfaction and retention but also acts as an important buffer against the stresses and strains of work and has positive health benefits too.

It is likely that the French would suffer particularly if this disappeared as socialising after work in France, is rare.

Whilst it may seem a small change therefore, French businesses should beware: happiness at work and all of its associated benefits (creativity, network building, support for others) is greatly influenced by the ‘small things’ – the little uplifts rather than major changes in working conditions. Lunch then, may be more important than that pay rise.