Share on Pinterest The Good Brigade/Getty Images Researchers reviewed previously published studies on taking “micro-breaks,” a short 10-minute break from tasks.
The researchers were curious to see if the consensus of most studies points toward micro-breaks being beneficial in the workplace.
While the researchers learned that micro-breaks can be helpful for reducing fatigue, they did not find enough evidence to support that 10-minute breaks improve job performance. Being burned out at work can lead to mental and physical exhaustion, health issues, and reduced job performance. With this in mind, researchers from the West University of Timisoara in Romania combed through 30 years of research on 10-minute “micro-breaks,” to determine what benefits these breaks can have. The meta-analysis reviewed 22 studies on the benefits of taking micro-breaks, and the results were recently published in the journal PLOS ONE .
Workplace burnout Workplace burnout is a significant enough concern that the World Health Organization (WHO) listed it as an occupational phenomenon in 2019. The WHO describes workplace burnout as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” According to the WHO, there are three dimensions of work-related burnout: feeling fatigued
having negative feelings toward one’s job or mentally distancing oneself from their job
reduction in how efficiently one performs their job tasks Burnout can happen when people feel overworked, whether from trying to meet too many expectations during a typical workday, not having enough downtime, or being expected to work past the contracted hours. In a survey by the American Psychological Association (APA), 71% of respondents reported feeling stressed during the workday. Not only can burnout impact how one performs their job, but it can also cause health issues. According to a 2017 study published in PLOS ONE , workplace burnout was a predictor of many physical health issues, including coronary heart disease, gastrointestinal issues, and type 2 diabetes. In addition to workplace burnout causing physical health issues, it may also cause mental health concerns. The same study said people who feel burned out often experience mental health issues such as insomnia, depression, and hospitalization for mental disorders.
Health benefits of taking a break For the recent meta-analysis, researchers reviewed studies that addressed micro-breaks spanning three decades. Many of the studies they reviewed involved students simulating tasks in lab settings, while other studies involved people in workplace settings. The participants in the various studies had to perform a number of tasks before getting a break. In one study, the authors write, “participants had to complete a series of tasks before taking a respite. These tasks were either relevant to organizational life, such as work simulations and actual work-related tasks, or irrelevant, such as various cognitive tests. The researchers exposed the participants to different types of demands, such as cognitive, emotional, or clerical.” After the tasks, the participants in simulated studies were allowed to take breaks that included activities such as watching videos or taking a walk. In actual workplace settings, sometimes the micro-break activities were similar to those above, while other times they involved helping a co-worker, setting up work-related goals, or socializing. The activity engaged in during the micro-break was an important factor in how helpful it was. For example, helping out a co-worker or doing something else work-related led to negative emotions associated with the break. According to the authors, “Work-related micro-break activities were associated with decreased well-being, decreased sleep quality, and increased negative mood.” Participants found physical breaks particularly helpful. “Physical activities such as stretching and exercise were associated with increased positive emotions and decreased fatigue,” write the authors. The authors pointed out that micro-breaks are not one-size-fits-all since depending on the profession and amount of cognitive ability required, someone in a more demanding position might need a longer micro-break in order to feel a sense of recovery. According to the authors, “A meta-regression showed that the longer the break, the greater the boost was on performance. Overall, the data support the role of micro-breaks for well-being, while for performance, recovering from highly depleting tasks may need more than 10-minute breaks.”