Grab a snack, go for a walk, or browse social media: No matter how you spend them, micro-breaks of 10 minutes or less while working can increase stamina and decrease fatigue, according to a meta-analysis published Wednesday. ) in the journal PLOs One.
Researchers looked at 22 studies from the past 30 years and determined that short breaks improved worker well-being, which they defined as having the energy to complete tasks without being exhausted by the end of the workday, said study author Irina Macsinga, a professor associate of the psychology department at West University of Timişoara, Romania.
Breaks during the workday are often seen as lazy or unproductive for the worker, which can make people feel guilty about taking them, Macsinga said.
The purpose of his report was to prove that short breaks are valuable for employees and organizations.
“It felt counterintuitive to have a whole week and wait for the weekend just to feel better, or have a hard day at the office and count the hours into the night,” she said.
The type of work matters
Studies included in the analysis identified how breaks of 10 minutes or less impacted students in a lab environment or employees in a work environment and originated from the United States, Netherlands, China, Austria, Germany, Australia, Brazil and Japan .
Microbreaks appeared to only positively affect workers performing certain types of tasks.
Study participants engaged in routine or creative work benefited from short breaks, according to the report.
Routine tasks are activities done with a high level of automation that do not require a person to use all their brain power. This can cause the mind to wander to other work or non-work-related tasks, increasing the chances of error, the analysis noted.
A break can lessen the risk of errors and redirect a worker’s attention to the job at hand, according to the report.
Creative tasks require a person to search their brain for information relevant to what they’re doing while suppressing ideas that aren’t on topic, according to the analysis.
Short breaks allow the worker to focus on a different activity than the one they are currently working on, which can increase flexibility and improve creative performance, the study authors found.
However, cognitively demanding tasks, jobs that require a high level and amount of brain power, did not show significant improvement in performance with micropauses, according to the analysis.
Studies have revealed that for people in these situations, a short break could replenish stamina but not fully replenish the mental resources needed to complete the task.
Not all breaks are created equal
Recovery activities that were not work-related showed higher levels of emotional improvement compared to work-related breaks, according to the analysis.
Unrelated activities may include physical exercise, such as walking, which researchers have found to be associated with decreased fatigue and increased positive emotions. Watching a short video clip was associated with better recovery and performance, according to the analysis.
Work-related micro-breaks, such as checking email or helping a colleague, were associated with decreased sleep quality and well-being, as well as increased negative mood, according to the report.
Whatever workers decide to do on the break, it should be something they enjoy, said Emily Hunter, professor and department chair at Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business in Waco, Texas. Hunter was not involved in the study.
In her research, she found that people who participated in activities they preferred during breaks were associated with a high level of recovery after the break.
How often should you micropause?
The analysis did not examine how often people should take micro-breaks, but Macsinga recommended that workers take them as often as necessary.
“By taking a short break when we feel the need, we can notice that new ideas start flowing easily again,” she said.
The frequency of breaks needed can depend on the type of work a person does, Hunter said.
Physically demanding work will have different break needs than cognitive work, she said. Creative tasks may also require longer breaks than repetitive activities, she added.
In his research, Hunter found that short breaks many times throughout the day were often beneficial.
“Just as we need to keep drinking water to stay hydrated, we also need to take short, frequent breaks to stay focused,” she said.
Source: CNN Brasil
