Why Work Breaks are Very Important for Your Employees

Work has been intense, especially during these uncertain times. Be it home or the office, it's getting more difficult for us to take a break. One common misconception is that when we feel overwhelmed, there is no time for breaks. Many of us think that taking a break when busy is not a good way to use our time.

The truth is, breaks actually help us stay focused. The human brain performs better with shorter bursts of productivity, rather than longer and extensive focus periods. There's a research that says breaks keep us interested in the tasks on hand, improves creative problem solving, and let us refocus and review our work.

Many countries in Europe practice afternoon tea where employees can have a little break from work and enjoy their tea.

The stigma surrounding breaks

The best way to mentally prepare ourselves is to give our brain a rest. We can stimulate great ideas by taking the time to have our lunch or walking around the house or office.

According to The New York Times, one out of three employees eats lunch at their desk. This may be caused by the fact that 38% of employees don't feel encouraged by their organisations to take a lunch break. Even 22% of the employee's managers think that regular lunch is a hint that you are not a hard worker.

Lifehack says that a microbreak (breaks that are between 30 seconds to 5 minutes) can improve mental acuity by an average of 13%. Here are the benefits of taking a break at work:

It stimulates your creativity.
It keeps you productive.
It motivates you to stay engaged.

Mental pauses have so many positive effects, it's only fair that employers should encourage their workers to take a few little breaks now and then.

Ways to take a short break

There are so many ways to take a break, here are some methods to make the most out of your little rest:

52:17 method: This method suggests you work at 100% commitment for 52 minutes and then completely remove yourself for 17 minutes.

Ultradian Rhythm: This method copies our body's natural rhythm. It's made up of 90-minute work sessions and followed by 20 minutes of rest. The goal is to identify when your body needs rest and allowing yourself scheduled time to do so.

Pomodoro Technique: Work for 25 minutes, then take a break for 5 minutes. Once you have completed this cycle four times you can give yourself a longer break of 30 mins. Remember, a break can be diverting your attention to something new. Take the time to check your email, organise your desk, and check your social feed. This method works better with a timer and helps you to divide tasks into smaller chunks. This technique will allow multiple timed goals throughout the day.

The pandemic should not stop us from taking the time to calm ourselves.

What to do during breaks

Here are some productivity-inducing activities you should do during your breaks:

Stretch. A good stretch helps get the oxygen flowing.
Take a walk. Physically getting up and moving around can improve your creativity. A change in scenery can help you to find an answer that you've been working hard on figuring out.
Treat yourself with a little bite. Our brain needs food to keep on performing at a high level. This is why lunch breaks are critical.
Looking at cute pictures. It appears that looking at baby animal pictures improve task performance.

It is essential to take work breaks because it improves your mental health and overall wellness. As HR, we should encourage our employees to take a few breaks here and there so they can gather themselves and be even more productive. Don't let them be too hard on themselves.

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Source: Baudville