Functional work breaks in a high-demanding work environment: an experimental field study

Abstract

Work breaks are known to have positive effects on employees’ health, performance and safety. Using a sample of twelve employees working in a stressful and cognitively demanding working environment, this experimental field study examined how different types of work breaks (boxing, deep relaxation and usual breaks) affect participants’ mood, cognitive performance and neurophysiological state compared to a control condition without any break. In a repeated measures experimental design, cognitive performance was assessed using an auditory oddball test and a Movement Detection Test. Brain cortical activity was recorded using electroencephalography. Individual’s mood was analysed using a profile of mood state. Although neurophysiological data showed improved relaxation of cortical state after boxing (vs. ‘no break’ and ‘deep relaxation’), neither performance nor mood assessment showed similar results. It remains questionable whether there is a universal work break type that has beneficial effects for all individuals.

Practitioner Summary: Research on work breaks and their positive effects on employees’ health and performance often disregards break activities. This experimental field study in a stressful working environment investigated the effect of different work break activities. A universal work break type that is beneficial for this workplace could not be identified.

Keywords:

• Cognitive performance
• exercise
• recovery
• relaxation
• work breaks

Acknowledgements

Parts of this study were made possible by a research grant from the Graduate Institute of Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences and research equipment of the German Sport University Cologne. We would like to express our gratitude to all participants of Covestro AG who took part on voluntary basis. Furthermore, we like to thank Petra Wollseiffen and Tobias Vogt for technical support as well as Ulf Goertz for enabling this study at Covestro AG.