Recovery during Lunch Breaks: Testing Long-Term Relations with Energy Levels at Work

Sianoja, Marjaana; Kinnunen, Ulla; Bloom, Jessica de; Korpela, Kalevi; Geurts, Sabine A. E.

doi:10.16993/sjwop.13

Cited by 40 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 41 publications

(74 reference statements)

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“…For instance, a daily reconstruction study found a relationship between detachment and affect during lunch break (Rhee & Kim, ), and a diary study found effects of lunch‐break relaxation but not autonomy on afternoon fatigue (Trougakos et al ., ). Furthermore, two cross‐sectional studies showed that detachment and control relate to recovery during lunch break (Sianoja, Kinnunen, de Bloom, Korpela, & Geurts, ) and that detachment and relaxation relate to a lower need for recovery after work (Coffeng, van Sluijs, Hendriksen, van Mechelen, & Boot, ). However, these recovery experiences have not yet been examined in relation to each other.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What makes for a good break? A diary study on recovery experiences during lunch break

Bosch

Sonnentag

Pinck

2017

J Occupat & Organ Psyc

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This study investigated the role of four recovery experiences during lunch break for employees' afternoon well-being. We hypothesized that lunch-break recovery experiences (psychological detachment, relaxation, control, and relatedness) reduce afternoon exhaustion and enhance afternoon work engagement via replenished personal resources (i.e., state of being recovered immediately after break and subsequent self-efficacy regarding the upcoming tasks in the afternoon). One hundred and nine employees provided daily survey data three times a day (i.e., start of work, after lunch break, end of work) over a period of two workweeks. Multilevel path analysis showed that relaxation, control, and relatedness during lunch break negatively predicted afternoon exhaustion and positively predicted afternoon work engagement via state of being recovered. For relaxation and relatedness, we additionally found positive serial indirect effects on afternoon work engagement via state of being recovered and self-efficacy. Psychological detachment was not related to personal resources and afternoon well-being. This study demonstrates that experiencing control over lunch break and using the lunch break to relax and to relate to others are indirectly associated with improved afternoon well-being via replenished personal resources. Practitioner pointsRelaxation, control, and relatedness constitute lunch-break recovery experiences that indirectly foster feeling confident, replenished, and engaged in the afternoon. Employees should strive to spend their lunch breaks in ways that help them feel relaxed, related, and in control. Organizations should provide their employees with sufficient break control and offer environments that facilitate relaxation and socializing during lunch break.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What makes for a good break? A diary study on recovery experiences during lunch break

Bosch

Sonnentag

Pinck

2017

J Occupat & Organ Psyc

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“…Some studies have observed that employees who report higher levels of psychological detachment, relaxation and control during this time of rest experience higher attention levels and less fatigue immediately after their break [42,43]. Additionally, employees who participated in restful activities during this period-socialising, taking a walk or a nap-felt more positive emotions and less negative emotions after their break [44,45]. On the other hand, employees who took part in work-related activities-e.g., preparing materials for a meeting-experienced a higher amount of negative emotions after their lunch break [46].There is a critical need for effective methods to reduce work-related stress that may be employed by a large number of people, are easily accessible and have few side effects, and can be self-directed…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mindfulness versus Physical Exercise: Effects of Two Recovery Strategies on Mental Health, Stress and Immunoglobulin A during Lunch Breaks. A Randomized Controlled Trial

Díaz-Silveira

Hera

Burgos

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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This research analyses the effects of mindfulness meditation (MM) and physical exercise (PE), practised as daily recovery activities during lunch breaks, on perceived stress, general mental health, and immunoglobin A (IgA). A three-armed randomized controlled trial with 94 employees was conducted for five weeks including two follow-up sessions after one and six months. Daily practice lasted 30 min maximum. Perceived stress and general mental health questionnaires and saliva samples were used. There were significant differences in time factor comparing pre-and post-test of Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) both for PE [Mdiff = 0.10, SE = 0.03, p = 0.03], and for MM [Mdiff = 0.09, SE = 0.03, p = 0.03]. Moreover, there were significant differences of interaction factor when comparing MM vs. PE in total score at pre-post [F = −2.62 (6, 168.84), p = 0.02, ω 2 = 0.09], favoring PE with medium and high effect sizes. Regarding General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) variable, practicing MM showed significant effects in time factor compared to pre-Fup2. No significant differences were found for IgA. Thus, practicing both MM and PE as recovery strategies during lunch breaks could reduce perceived stress after five weeks of practice, with better results for PE. Moreover, practicing MM could improve mental health with effects for 6 months.for conducting research on immune function [15][16][17]. Nevertheless, the relationship between sIgA responses and stressors is not linear, since sIgA increases as a response to both relaxation and stressors [18,19]. Therefore, it has been proposed that acute stress may potentially enhance the immune system as an adaptive response [20], while chronic stress produces a decline in immune functioning, associated with high susceptibility to infectious diseases [21,22].Work and workplace-related issues are common sources of stress [23]. Work-related stress is associated with a decrease in productivity, increased absenteeism, accidents and injuries, mental illness, increased errors and poor performance, conflictive relations, somatic symptom disorders and even alcohol and drug abuse [24]. According to the International Labour Organization (2016) [25], stress is responsible for 30% of all work-related disorders. In the European Union, workplace stress has a negative impact on the wellbeing of 22% of the total labour force [26] and these data are expected to rise in the future [27,28].All this implies significant financial costs to society. In the European Union, the cost of work-related depression is estimated at € 617 billion a year, including costs to employers resulting from absenteeism and presenteeism (€ 272 billion), loss of productivity (€ 242 billion), health care costs (€ 63 billion) and social welfare costs due to disability benefit payments (€ 39 billion) [29].In this context, it seems crucial to find effective solutions. Sometimes, employees seek help to develop stress management strategies through psychotherapy, training courses, effective communication techniques, social support and re...

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“…Those studies (e.g., [19,23,24]), which come close to a field study in the true sense, have a high value in understanding work breaks. However, because of the focus of this scoping review, studies without manipulation of either work break regimens or content were not included in the review.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methods in Experimental Work Break Research: A Scoping Review

Scholz

Wendsche

Ghadiri

et al. 2019

IJERPH

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The number of studies on work breaks and the importance of this subject is growing rapidly, with research showing that work breaks increase employees’ wellbeing and performance and workplace safety. However, comparing the results of work break research is difficult since the study designs and methods are heterogeneous and there is no standard theoretical model for work breaks. Based on a systematic literature search, this scoping review included a total of 93 studies on experimental work break research conducted over the last 30 years. This scoping review provides a first structured evaluation regarding the underlying theoretical framework, the variables investigated, and the measurement methods applied. Studies using a combination of measurement methods from the categories “self-report measures,” “performance measures,” and “physiological measures” are most common and to be preferred in work break research. This overview supplies important information for ergonomics researchers allowing them to design work break studies with a more structured and stronger theory-based approach. A standard theoretical model for work breaks is needed in order to further increase the comparability of studies in the field of experimental work break research in the future.

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Recovery during Lunch Breaks: Testing Long-Term Relations with Energy Levels at Work

Cited by 40 publications

References 41 publications

What makes for a good break? A diary study on recovery experiences during lunch break

What makes for a good break? A diary study on recovery experiences during lunch break

Mindfulness versus Physical Exercise: Effects of Two Recovery Strategies on Mental Health, Stress and Immunoglobulin A during Lunch Breaks. A Randomized Controlled Trial

Methods in Experimental Work Break Research: A Scoping Review

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