Intense work demands heighten employees’ desire for breaks. Yet, recent findings suggest that such demands might paradoxically deter them from taking necessary pauses at work, even though this leads to heightened stress, exhaustion, and diminished performance.
The University of Waterloo’s investigation revealed that employees often continued working despite their wish to stop for a breather. A likely cause for this reluctance could be the perceived pressure to complete tasks promptly.
James Beck, a professor specialising in industrial and organisational psychology at Waterloo, stated, “Our study offers an in-depth examination of the decision-making process behind taking breaks and sheds light on how both employees and their managers can optimise break time to enhance overall well-being and job performance.”
In their research methodology, the team initially questioned 107 employees regarding their motivations for taking or skipping breaks. Subsequently, they monitored an additional 287 employees, enquiring about their sleep quality, tiredness, performance worries, workload, and break frequency twice daily over five days.
The findings also highlighted a notable contradiction: despite evidence from prior studies indicating the positive impact of breaks on employee well-being and productivity, employees might hesitate to take breaks if they perceive a lack of support for break-taking from their supervisors. Contrary to the belief that breaks are unproductive, Phan emphasised that many employees take breaks to remain focused and maintain high performance.
Dr Vincent Phan, the lead author of the study conducted as part of his doctoral research in industrial and organisational psychology at Waterloo, remarked, “We understand that it might not always be feasible for employees to take more breaks. However, by improving work conditions that contribute to job dissatisfaction, employers could potentially decrease the necessity for breaks.”
The team aspires that their findings will enhance employee well-being and encourage further research into the broader structural and situational factors affecting the frequency and duration of work breaks.
More information: Vincent Phan and James W. Beck. Why Do People (Not) Take Breaks? An Investigation of Individuals’ Reasons for Taking and for Not Taking Breaks at Work, Journal of Business and Psychology. DOI: 10.1007/s10869-022-09866-4
Journal information: Journal of Business and Psychology Provided by University of Waterloo