New research confirms how to take better workday breaks

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-09/bu-nrc090915.php

Public Release: 9-Sep-2015
New research confirms how to take better workday breaks
Baylor University management professors measure break effectiveness, debunk common myths
Baylor University

Most people take breaks during their workdays. Coffee breaks. Lunch breaks. Short chats with coworkers. Maybe late afternoon walks around the building.

But are they taking the best type of breaks? Breaks that boost energy, concentration and motivation?

Two Baylor University researchers have published a new empirical study - "Give Me a Better Break: Choosing Workday Break Activities to Maximize Resource Recovery" - in the Journal of Applied Psychology. The research provides a greater understanding of workday breaks and offers suggestions on when, where and how to plan the most beneficial daily escapes from the J-O-B. The research also debunks some common break-time myths.

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Key findings of the study include:

1. The most beneficial time to take a workday break is mid-morning.

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2. "Better breaks" incorporate activities that employees prefer.

A common belief exists that doing things that are non-work-related are more beneficial, Hunter explained. Based on the study, there was no evidence to prove that non-work-related activities were more beneficial.

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3. People who take "better breaks" experience better health and increased job satisfaction.

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4. Longer breaks are good, but it's beneficial to take frequent short breaks.

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"Unlike your cellphone, which popular wisdom tells us should be depleted to zero percent before you charge it fully to 100 percent, people instead need to charge more frequently throughout the day," Hunter said.