Show this article to your boss: He explained why breaks at work are necessary

Stress and fatigue in the workplace is a familiar combination that most workers want to avoid. Diana Blažaitienė, director of the international personnel selection and management company Soprana Personnel International, says that there is a very simple but effective solution to solve this problem: constant breaks of 5-10 minutes.

“Short breaks at work are not a waste of time, on the contrary: they increase work capacity, help relax the mind and make it easier to find better solutions and deal with stress more effectively. The demands of employers are high, so employees need enough motivation and ability to reach their full potential, “says the recruitment expert.

Both scientists and experts agree that companies with the best microclimate and the best working conditions achieve the best results. Man is designed to work efficiently, but not continuously. Even the best employee is likely to exhale due to constant fatigue while working without interruption.

You need to “charge your batteries”

Short breaks help organize the work process efficiently. Strictly establishing how long you’ve worked or how much work you’ve done will give you a break, make you work more productively, and motivate you to get the job done faster. With this approach, teams work more efficiently because there is less time for boredom or minor things, which helps maintain strict discipline and achieve better results.

“At some point, employees have to stop working to ‘recharge their batteries.’ Short breaks during the workday can increase mental resources, such as care, diligence, responsibility, that are necessary to ensure good quality. working, “says D. Blažaitienė.

By taking breaks, you have more time to think about your goals and work strategy. You can assess what has already been done and whether you are doing the best you can. If not, you can change the workflow or process. Even a short break helps you see things with new eyes, making it much easier to find answers and solutions to questions after a break.

Even a short break improves productivity. Only ten minutes from work, the boss manages to “recharge” and rest. However, the expert cautions that for rest to be effective, it must be properly planned. “You shouldn’t talk about work problems that cause you stress and dissatisfaction during a break. Right now, the brain gets even more tired and doesn’t rest at all. The employee is in a vicious triangle: he takes a break from work to talk about work ”, advises D. Blažaitienė.

A rest for both the body and the soul.

The purpose of additional and special breaks is to maintain employees’ ability to work, improve productivity and quality of work, and protect employees from fatigue to prevent workplace illnesses and accidents at work. Mandatory and additional breaks for all employees are also provided in the Labor Code, but certainly not all employers meet these requirements.

A rest is needed not only for the head but also for the body. This point is particularly important for office workers. The spine and neck suffer the most from sitting in one place and with little mobility, and the eyes suffer from looking at the computer. Therefore, the expert recommends getting up for a walk or even exercising to avoid spinal pain or other illnesses in the future.

Leaving work for at least a few minutes reduces stress and increases alertness. Going out, moving to another room, or any other change in the environment automatically distracts you from your work. Whenever possible, the expert recommends moving and activating the blood circulation, thus raising energy levels in the body. You can meditate, but the easiest way is to communicate with colleagues in other places than your work.

The expert advises team or company leaders to encourage their employees to take breaks. This will not only maintain a good workplace environment, but will also make employees happier, healthier and more productive.

Stress hormone levels decrease

Diana Blažaitienė is supported by the director of OfficeGym, sports and fitness coach Deividas Vaškelis, who organizes exercises in the offices.

“A simple decision not to sit down: short, 10-15 minutes. Physical activity is broken several times a day. They work even more effectively than an hour-long workout after 8 hours of seated work, plus they support active absorption of sugar throughout the day, “says D. Vaškelis.

OfficeGym physiotherapist Edwin Bras advises those who work on a computer to get up from a chair, twist their hips, stretch their stiff muscles and continue working at least once every half hour:. “The blood circulation is activated, the brain receives more oxygen, and the amount of cortisol, the stress hormone, is significantly reduced.”

In western companies it is customary to organize short and group training. In Lithuania, this phenomenon is still gradually taking root, mainly in larger or foreign-owned companies. “Personnel managers even consider such exercises to be one of the most effective forms of team building. They are all charged with positive emotions, take a short break from work, and have a common and enjoyable experience,” says D. Vaškelis.

The appearance of such exercises is associated in many cases with the values ​​of the company. Realizing that people create core value, they spare no resources to improve the emotional and physical health of their employees. E. Brasas points out that the IT sector is a leader in terms of requests for such services.

“Professionals in some fields, such as IT, spend more time on the computer than other professions. Sitting constantly and stress obviously affects posture, impairs health indicators. In response, large companies are organizing exercises for their employees, educating them about its benefits, “says E. Brasas.