Business degree holders who assume managerial positions may want to pay close attention to how their employees spend their lunch breaks. If they are eating at their desk, they may be endangering their own productivity, according to new research.

Right Management, the workforce consulting experts within the Manpower Group, recently found that of 751 North American workers, only 35 percent take a regular lunch break, 15 percent take one every now and then and 16 percent rarely take a moment to eat. In addition, 34 percent of survey participants reported that they usually eat lunch at their desk.

While workers who remain at their desk or do not stop to eat at all may think that this behavior shows dedication to their jobs, it can actually be counterproductive to their professional performance. The researchers behind the survey said that stepping away from one's desk for a lunch break can not only reduce tension, but increase energy.

"One has to wonder how many workers actually leave the workplace and get a chance to clear their heads…and what the downstream toll of lack of true breaks and downtime might be for employee well-being and overall organizational performance," said Michael Haid, Right Management's senior vice president of talent management.