Breaks are essential to employee morale, and studies have shown that breaks lead to higher productivity, higher job satisfaction and more balanced emotional health. Without adequate work breaks employee productivity, mental well-being, and overall work performance will begin to suffer.
Most employees strive to perform their best in the workplace, working overtime and taking on extra projects, but this ‘work hard’ mentality is unhealthy. Unfortunately, employees often gain this idea through their employers’ attitudes, and deep-seated corporate cultures can see employees feeling guilty toward colleagues and management when they take breaks.
Here at Bartercard, we not only encourage the culture of taking a 10-minute break or a longer break, but also a break in the form of a short vacation. Without taking adequate breaks from work, employee productivity can negatively affect the bottom line, leading to less growth in sales, so the following sets out some tips on the benefits of taking regular breaks.
The Benefits of Taking Regular Breaks
When it comes to boosting productivity, taking regular breaks may sound counterintuitive, but it is one of the best ways to do so. Employees can gain focus and energy after taking time away from their desks, and a regular lunch break can actually help prevent thank unproductive mid-afternoon slump.
Taking a break can give employees a fresh perspective on challenging projects, as it is hard for them to develop new ideas or solutions when they’ve been looking at the same thing all day.
Taking breaks at work can:
- Help you re-evaluate goals
- Increase productivity and help the mind refocus
- Lessen injuries, body aches and pains
- Improve creativity
- Reduce stress
- Boost employee engagement
- Improve mental health.
Tips to Ensure You Take a Break
Stress is incredibly common in the workplace, which has real-time detrimental effects on employees. Employees need time to recharge, and taking time to step away from your desk and maybe go for a quick walk helps release some of this stress and improves mental wellbeing. Here are some tips to prompt you to regularly take a break to rebuild your energy.
- Agree on break times with your peers and help each other to stick to them
- Set an alarm on your phone to prompt you
- Plan to do something in your break that you enjoy
- Pay attention to any benefits you experience when you take a break – this will motivate you to take breaks in future.
Take a Longer Break with Bartercard
Here at Bartercard, we’ve long known that regular holidays can reduce stress and disease and increase life expectancy. As business owners, we are convinced that more hours equal improved results. Research also shows that taking regular breaks is the key to success, as well as enabling increased productivity and creative capacity. With Bartercard, there is no excuse not to take a holiday.
We have hundreds of accommodation options that are available with the cash cost, funded by extra capacity or stock in your business, so jump on our tourism page and start planning your next break away.