Unfortunately, in a workplace environment taking breaks can sometimes be considered as lazy and unproductive. According to a survey 22% of north American’s in managerial positions felt that employees who took regular lunch breaks are less hardworking, however the same study also found that 90% of employees claimed that taking a lunch break helps them feel refreshed, refocused and ready to get back to work (TORK).

Benefits of taking regular breaks

One benefit of taking regular breaks is an increased productivity, employees return from their breaks feeling motivated as they would have likely lost focus due to working for an extended period. If they would have carried on working, they would likely suffered from burnout and complete less work than their co-worker who had taken a break.

Another benefit is the improved mental wellbeing of employees, those who take breaks can benefit from using the time to partake in healthy activities such as use of the gym, yoga and eating healthily. These activities will have a positive impact on employees all round well-being, creating a happy working atmosphere. For those in creative jobs, a break can boost creativity as a quick change of scenery can help to refresh your mind and promote new ideas.

Breaking down outdated views on breaks

Despite the countless benefits to breaks, there are still people who are resistant to the idea, maintaining the mentality that people who take breaks are ‘slackers’. It is vital that these employees are encouraged to take breaks as they may be unaware of the positive effects that implementing a break into their workday could have on their well-being as well as productivity.

Ways to try and redirect this way of thinking could be to make sure that you are taking regular breaks yourself as a manager, employees seeing their managers taking a break will feel less guilty for taking one themselves. Other ideas including holding a work seminar to educate staff on the advantages of taking regular breaks. Making sure that your workplace has a break area which offers employees a comfortable space to take their break will also encourage more of your staff to make the most of their breaks

Managing breaks effectively

It is important to plan your breaks around your business’s ‘peak productivity’, but also allow input from employees on their preferred break preferences. This will make them feel heard and as a result will lead to a stronger team culture, aiding employee retention and boosting productivity in the workplace.

Having a biometric online clock in system like Smart Clockin allows for breaks to be monitored and scheduled with ease due to the software being able to provide information in real time about which employees have taken a break and the times which they took their break. If you would like to know more about how Smart Clockin can benefit your business, visit our contact us page here