Embracing work breaks

Fritz, Charlotte; Ellis, Allison M.; Demsky, Caitlin A.; Lin, Bingqing; Guros, Frankie

doi:10.1016/j.orgdyn.2013.07.005

Cited by 101 publications

(52 citation statements)

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“…Regarding this contradiction, one possibility gleaned from relevant literature is that employees generally enjoy downtime as it represents a respite from demanding work (see accounts in Terkel, ). Consistent with this notion, most studies on formal work breaks show that these breaks facilitate resource recovery and help people psychologically detach from work (e.g., Fritz, Ellis, Demsky, Lin, & Guros, ; Sonnentag, ). On the contrary, findings from the workplace boredom and vigilance literatures suggest that a certain amount of workload or stimulation increases arousal and, in turn, helps maintain psychological well‐being along with stable task performance (Grech, Neal, Yeo, Humphreys, & Smith, ).…”

Section: Definition Of Downtime and Overview Of Current Approachmentioning

confidence: 84%

On the subjective experience and correlates of downtime at work: A mixed‐method examination

et al. 2018

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Summary In the current paper, we studied downtime at work. Downtime represents a unique aspect of work time, as employees have low workload and more discretion about their activities but are still paid to be at work. Despite its prevalence and potentially significant implications for productivity and well‐being, the experience of downtime has not been a focus in the literature. To study this phenomenon, we first used a qualitative method involving 15 focus groups. Results from 95 employees showed that downtime is distinct from formal breaks and withdrawal behavior and is generally a negative subjective experience. Categories of antecedents of experience and downtime activities were classified. Next, to further explore the phenomenon, and based on Study 1 and relevant literature, we proposed several hypotheses and tested them using an experience sampling method. Results from 86 employees (across 5 workdays and 689 data points) indicated that the amount of downtime was negatively related to day level job satisfaction, job performance, and subjective health. The duration of relaxation activities during downtime mitigated the negative effects of downtime on fatigue. The effects of enjoyment level of the activities, job autonomy, work engagement, and boredom proneness were also examined. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.

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Section: Definition Of Downtime and Overview Of Current Approachmentioning

confidence: 84%

On the subjective experience and correlates of downtime at work: A mixed‐method examination

et al. 2018

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“…One way organizations can attempt to boost personal resources is through deliberate interventions. There is abundant evidence from a variety of nonorganizational domains that relatively simple interventions can build these resources (e.g., Fritz, Ellis, Demsky, Lin, & Guros, 2013;Good et al, 2016;Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009), and although many of these interventions were originally developed for personal or clinical use, there is a growing consensus that they can -and should-be adapted for use in work organizations. Calls for organizations to implement resource-building interventions, such as mindfulness training and positive psychology exercises, have come from researchers (Good et al, 2016;Llorens, Salanova, Torrente, & Acosta, 2013;Mills, Fleck, & Kozikowski, 2013), executives (Jones, 2015), popular press commentators (Jaret, 2015), and consultants (Chaskalson, 2011) alike.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building personal resources through interventions: An integrative review

2017

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In recent years, a variety of disparate literatures have emerged to test interventions intended to increase individuals' psychological, cognitive, and physiological resources. Although many of these interventions were originally designed for individual or clinical use, a growing number of commentators have called for their adoption in organizations. But controversy remains about their efficacy in the workplace. We review the research literature on 6 interventions that have been used to build volatile personal resources: malleable, individual‐level constructs that are vital for withstanding work stress and proximal to work outcomes. In so doing, we evaluate the generalizability of these interventions to organizational settings, along with their potential benefits and costs. Our findings highlight new opportunities for both research and practice.

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“…In the present study we focused on lunch breaks as an intervention setting. Lunch breaks typically represent the longest within-workday breaks and are thus likely play an important role in daily job stress recovery (Fritz et al 2013;Trougakos et al 2014). By engaging employees in specific recovery activities -either a relaxation exercise or a park walk -during lunchtime, we aimed to decrease their stress levels and restore their energy.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Effects of Relaxation Exercises and Park Walks During Workplace Lunch Breaks on Physiological Recovery

Torrente¹,

Kinnunen²,

Sianoja³

et al. 2017

Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology

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Considering the increasing demands of various occupational interventions, this study aimed at examining the impact of relaxation exercises and park walks during lunch breaks on physiological recovery (i.e., on changes in cortisol excretion and blood pressure). In a four-week randomized controlled trial, 153 knowledge workers in seven companies were allocated to one of three groups: relaxation, park walk, or control. Both intervention groups were required to undertake either a lunchtime relaxation exercise or a park walk on each working day for two consecutive weeks. Data were collected at baseline, during the two-week intervention period, and in the week after the intervention. Mixed-design analyses of variance (ANOVA) were conducted. No beneficial intervention effects were observed in cortisol awakening response (CARi) or cortisol decline during the day (CDD). Blood pressure decreased significantly in the afternoon at work in each group. This decrease was more pronounced in the park walk group (d = .51-.58) than in the relaxation (d = .18-.28) and control (d = .31-.41) groups. Our study showed that changing knowledge workers' lunch routines for a short period of time does not affect cortisol excretion, but may lower blood pressure at the end of the working day. This lowered blood pressure also seemed to occur among the controls, suggesting that measuring and keeping track of blood pressure may serve as an intervention. However, longer interventions are needed to achieve stronger and long lasting physiological recovery effects.

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Embracing work breaks

Cited by 101 publications

References 0 publications

On the subjective experience and correlates of downtime at work: A mixed‐method examination

On the subjective experience and correlates of downtime at work: A mixed‐method examination

Building personal resources through interventions: An integrative review

The Effects of Relaxation Exercises and Park Walks During Workplace Lunch Breaks on Physiological Recovery

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