Role of work breaks in well-being and performance: A systematic review and future research agenda.

Abstract

Recovery from work is a critical component for employees' proper functioning. While research has documented the beneficial effects of after-work recovery, it has focused far less on the recovery that happens while at work in the form of work breaks. In this review, we systematically review available empirical evidence on the relationship between work breaks and well-being and performance among knowledge workers. Doing so enables us to (a) integrate studies from multiple disciplines, (b) propose a conceptual framework for categorizing work breaks, and (c) provide a future research agenda for studying the role of work breaks in employee well-being and performance. Using Cochrane's guidelines, we review observational and intervention studies (N = 83). Based on the extant research, we propose that work breaks can be described and classified in terms of five features: initiator, duration, frequency, activities, and experiences. The result of our review is an integrative model that comprehensively captures the relationship between work breaks and well-being and performance outcomes, as well as the mechanisms and boundary conditions of these relationships. We conclude by proposing avenues for the future study and practice of work breaks.

Eating versus sleeping: Lunchtime meals and naps relation to afternoon creativity at work

“…It has been noted that recovery research has predominantly focused on quantity of recovery activities (e.g. Lyubykh et al, 2022), which can explain somewhat inconsistent results of recovery activities (e.g. Fritz & Sonnentag, 2005).…”

“…However, organizational researchers argue that a large number of studies have tended to focus on frequency or duration of recovery activities rather than their quality (e.g. Lyubykh et al, 2022; Tucker, 2003). By focusing on quality of two recovery activities during lunch times, namely, the quality of daily lunch naps and meals, the current research provides an alternative explanation for the nature of recovery process.…”

“…By focusing on quality of two recovery activities during lunch times, namely, the quality of daily lunch naps and meals, the current research provides an alternative explanation for the nature of recovery process. We acknowledge that because recovery activities are what employees are actually doing for replenishing depleted resources during nonwork time and sometimes they include a nap (Chan et al, 2022; Lyubykh et al, 2022; Sonnentag et al, 2022), we conceptualize the quality of lunch naps and meals as examples of low‐effort recovery activities. Further, most previous researchers emphasized the pivotal role of such recovery processes in predicting individuals' affective responses (e.g.…”

Facilitating detachment from work: A systematic review, evidence-based recommendations, and guide for future research.

“…We recommend that organizations permit and encourage employees to take breaks during the day. While the specific types and durations of breaks will depend on the work context and nature of tasks workers are doing (Lyubykh et al, 2022), several notable practices can help yield greater detachment during break periods.…”

We Continue to Recover Through Vacation!

“…Since beneficial well-being effects of work breaks and daily rest periods are additionally shaped by other work conditions (e.g., workload) and recovery factors (i.e., activities and experiences, sleep duration and quality; Litwiller et al, 2017; Lyubykh et al, 2022; Steed et al, 2021), employees might feel not fully recovered when resuming work. For instance, in a recent representative survey, 44% of German employees reported such recovery impairments which are related to an increased risk of impaired mental and physical well-being (Vieten & Brauner, 2020).…”