The number of IT contractors and other employees who work all through their shift without taking a break should serves as a "wake-up call" about post-recession pressure.

This is according to Ben Willmott, senior public policy advisor at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, who claims that consistently working without a break is worryingly unhealthy.

In addition, working through lunchtimes often means that employees are doing an excessive number of hours, Mr Wilmott adds.

Half of those who work through their breaks do so because they have too much work to do, while almost a third say it is because the firm has too few staff, according to a recent study by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

"The impact of the recession is only now beginning to affect the workplace on a daily basis, and issues around workloads – such as whether or not people are taking breaks - is something that employers should be thinking about," Mr Wilmott concludes.