Recent conversations between experts have highlighted the importance of regular, planned breaks to maximize efficiency and mental health in any work environment. Vanessa Miles, an expert on workplace habits, believes that implementing small breaks during the day can lead to such a drastic improvement in employees. At the same time, Dr. Kira Schabram reminds us about what we know about effective breaks, emphasizing that our ideas about rest are shifting. The idea is to create an environment that encourages short bouts of movement while making them more accessible to everyone.
To make it easier, Miles recommends a technique known as habit stacking, which helps people tie new breaks to established tasks. It could start small, with the goal of building in short breaks naturally and guilt-free so you aren’t leaving work unattended during critical times. Dr. Schabram notes that a lot of employees face workplace pressure to appear constantly productive. This relentless impetus sometimes leads them to leave necessary breaks out. At the same time, this pressure can exacerbate feelings of burnout and lower quality of work.
Fortunately, organizations are beginning to understand the importance of employee well-being. To give their employees a healthy work-life balance, employers need to understand how to provide productive, effective breaks.
Recognizing When to Take a Break
From her research on the effects of activism on health, Vanessa Miles identifies three broad categories of symptoms that signal when it’s time to take a break. The first group are the cognitive symptoms, where you might notice that you’re losing focus all the time. This distraction violates the very principles of flow which are essential to productivity, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of dissatisfaction and frustration.
As her ideas suggest, the issue runs deeper than individual burnout. She explains that those people who are feeling burnout, lack of effectiveness, and cynicism may need to undergo what she refers to as a “transformative break. These types of breaks are intended to restore the person and offer a much-needed fresh start.
“The way I would suggest you think about breaks is to ask yourself: ‘What is depleted?’ And what are you trying to refill with that break?” – Dr. Kira Schabram
Miles goes on to state the good effects of even short breaks of two to three minutes. Enabling employees to enjoy these micro-breaks will help people to refresh their minds and come back to work re-energized and ready to go.
Strategies for Effective Breaks
Dr. Schabram’s research shows that a lot of employees feel they just can’t take breaks because of the pressure they put on themselves. She unpacks three strategies workers are forced to adopt to work around their need for time away from the workplace.
The first tactic is “undercover breaks”—a where workers sneak away from their jobs in stealth mode without alerting coworkers. This behavior, while perhaps a compliment in nature, unveils a larger problem about attitudes in the workplace. Everyone knows they need breaks, but then they’re all getting shamed for not looking productive.
The second strategy is seeking a middle ground in shift lengths so that shouldering more control over breaks can go to the workers themself. This approach not only recognizes the need for flexibility in managing work, but empowers employees to take care of their well-being.
“People recognize they need a break, and they also understand that there’s too much pressure for them to look busy, so they feel they have to hide it,” – Dr. Kira Schabram
Miles urges people to begin with the small stuff — take a quick pause whenever you can. She suggests taking each occasion — say, boiling water for tea — as a chance to do a one-minute mindfulness exercise. One example of a mindfulness exercise is a body scan.
The Role of Leadership in Promoting Breaks
This is where the influence of leadership comes in, and it’s essential to healthy workplace culture when it comes to breaktime. As Dr. Schabram stresses, leaders need to practice what they preach. By being public about decisions to take breaks, they can help to normalize this practice for their own teams.
“As a leader, taking overt breaks and role-modelling that it’s okay can make all the difference,” – Dr. Kira Schabram
Mel Kettle, a professional who emphasizes the importance of effective scheduling, shares her approach: “When I have meetings, I try to schedule them for 25 or 45 minutes so that I can have a break in between.” She points out that avoiding cramming too much into an agenda with a blank time sheet affords a break to recharge between meetings.
Additionally, Dr. Schabram encourages making joyful activities a priority when taking breaks. This attention to satisfaction is key in ensuring that breaks are truly restorative.
“You get to make the decision about what makes a break successful for you … As long as it gives you joy, that’s a really important part of it.” – Dr. Kira Schabram
