THE Great British tea break is dying out — with almost half of workers never chatting over a cuppa.
One quarter of Gen Z admit never offering to make a brew while a fifth would be shocked at taking time out for one.
Meanwhile, separate research shows that office small talk is dying out as younger workers feel more comfortable communicating online.
The tea break decline has been blamed on increasing workloads (60 per cent), changes in workplace culture (49 per cent) and the rise in hybrid working (37 per cent).
But 45 per cent of people want to bring it back, as they say the time spent waiting for the kettle to boil helped them combat stress and build friendships with team-mates.
It comes after 45 per cent of workers admitted they have fewer friends at work than they did five years ago.
Six in ten expressed a desire to connect more with colleagues, with 59 per cent believing their professional life would be more enjoyable if they knew their co-workers better.
Mobile network Three UK has teamed up with The Samaritans to encourage staff to reconnect with each other for the charity’s annual Brew Monday on January 20.
Sonya Trivedy, executive director of external engagement at Samaritans, said: “People can struggle any day of the year and having someone take the time to have a brew and a chat can make a world of difference.
“The decline of the workplace tea break means these essential moments of human connection are being lost.”
It comes as a separate poll found 74 per cent of workers struggle to make chitchat. Nearly half (48 per cent) admit using WhatsApp, Teams or email to communicate — even if they are sitting near the recipient.
Some 40 per cent of Gen Z say they feel more comfortable communicating online, compared to 24 per cent of Gen X, according to a poll of 2,000 workers by food maker Tilda.
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