Many people in the Long Term / Post Acute Care Industry, among others, have underestimated the importance and power of the lunch break.
It is clear that employees who take their lunch breaks are far more effective than their co-workers who do not. Not only does it improve the employee's physical well-being and job performance, but taking a break during the work day also increases their mental capacities. Employees who take a lunch are generally more productive, focused, creative and happy—improving their ability to perform and creating a healthier work environment. In an industry where the resident is top priority, it is essential that all employees be at the top of their game to be able to provide the best care.
Employees who miss their lunch are not only impacting their own ability to care for residents, but, in Skilled Nursing Facilities, they might also be impacting their facility's CMS Star Rating. According to the PBJ Policy Manual*, all full shifts reported must have 30 minutes deducted for a break, regardless of whether or not the employee actually took the break. This means that if an RN worked 10 long hours for you and did not take a lunch you would only get credit for 9.5 hours of RN hours worked in your PBJ reports to contribute to your star rating.
All in all, skipping lunch has a bigger impact on the success of your facility than you might think.
*For further information, please refer to the PBJ Policy Manual: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/NursingHomeQualityInits/Downloads/PBJ-Policy-Manual-Final-V25-11-19-2018.pdf