Nearly half of people working in professional services industry ditched the diet after eating chocolate on the job

The British Heart Foundation discovers how the daily grind is driving us chocolate crazy for its DECHOX fundraiser this March

New statistics released as part of the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) DECHOX campaign show the true extent of “cake culture” in the office, as around half of people working in Professional Services (48%) who are trying to watch their waistlines say they’ve ditched the diet at least once after being tempted by sweet treats in the workplace.

The nation’s heart charity is encouraging everyone to give up chocolate and get sponsored for the month of March to help raise money for life saving heart research.

The survey showed that nearly two fifths (39%) of the Professional Services industry eat chocolate at least every other day during the average working week, with over a third (36%) saying they are actually incapable of getting through the  nine-to-five without succumbing to their chocolate cravings.

Ranking third in the most chocoholic industries to work in, the education and IT sectors come top, where nearly half (47%) of staff tuck into chocolate at least every other day at work.

Close to half (49%) of workers in Professional Services confessed that chocolate is so commonplace in their office it has become part of the furnishings. This rose to two thirds (66%) of people in finance and over six in ten (61%) in the healthcare industry who admit there’s permanently chocolate in the office. A quarter (24%) of all workers in the industry believe their colleagues are to blame for this chocolate epidemic sweeping offices across the nation.

That said, it seems nothing can stand in our way when in the office. Although nine in ten (92%) believe it is an unwritten rule not to steal chocolate from colleagues, three in ten (29%) have pinched from other employees to get their sugary fix.

With over two fifths in the industry (45%) confessing they will scoff chocolate at work if it’s within eyesight, the BHF says it’s time for a DECHOX. The charity is calling on chocolate-loving companies across the UK to give up their favourite chocolate treats for March and get sponsored to raise money for life saving research into heart disease.

Tracy Parker, Heart Health Dietician at the BHF, said:

It’s no secret that we’re a nation of chocoholics. While its fine to treat yourself now and again, this survey shows just how much our workplace “cake culture” is helping feed our sugary habit, even tempting people to ditch their healthy diets.

By challenging yourself and your colleagues to a DECHOX this March you can help eliminate temptation whilst raising funds for our life saving research. By ditching chocolate, you can kick start some healthier habits, and help fund the breakthroughs that will see us beat heart disease for good.

Each year, around 160,000 lives are cut short by heart and circulatory disease – that’s one every three minutes.

In 2016, over 18,000 DECHOXERS took part, raising an incredible £860,000 for the BHF’s research. Join thousands by saying no to chocolate this March!