We know the basic work hours rules for our staff, don’t we? If not, here is a brief and simple breakdown:
Workers over 18: are usually entitled to 3 types of break – rest breaks at work, daily rest and weekly rest.
Rest breaks at work: Workers have the right to one uninterrupted 20-minute rest break during their working day, if they work more than 6 hours a day. This could be a tea or lunch break. The break doesn’t have to be paid – it depends on their employment contract.
Daily rest: Workers have the right to 11 hours rest between working days, e.g. if they finish work at 8pm, they shouldn’t start work again until 7am the next day.
Weekly rest: Workers have the right to either: an uninterrupted 24 hours without any work each week or an uninterrupted 48 hours without work each fortnight. When you’re striving to hit a deadline, or a tough challenge has got you feeling the pressure, it can be tempting to force yourself to focus well past the point of fatigue. Taking a much-needed break is essential if you want to perform at your best.
A study that was carried out in 2011 at the University of Illinois found that the human brain’s attentional resources drop after a long period of focusing on a single task, decreasing our ability to focus and hindering performance.
“Brief mental breaks will actually help you stay focused on your task, “ said lead researcher professor Alejandro Lleras. The amount of break time you are legally entitled to depends on the country in which you are working.
The scientific consensus on the optimum break length varies: some advocate breaks every 90 minutes (in line with your ultradian rhythm), every 25 minutes (if you’re a believer in the Pomodoro Technique), or every 52 minutes (suggested to be the optimum concentration period by a group of Latvian companies).
Relaxing and social breaks have been found to be particularly beneficial. A relaxing break can help to facilitate recovery, by returning your mental and psychical functional systems to their baseline. Additionally, a relaxing break can help to reset your mood, thereby promoting positive wellbeing and reducing stress.
Although taking short breaks throughout the working day may not have as obvious an impact as taking a holiday, research has found significant benefits. Studies have found that breaks can reduce or prevent stress, help to maintain performance throughout the day and reduce the need for a long recovery at the end of the day.
A study by Korpela, Kinnunen, Geurts, de Bloom and Sianoja (2016) found that taking lunchtime breaks and detaching from work, increases levels of energy at work and decreases exhaustion.
Furthermore, one year later it was found to increase vigor and increase energy levels over time. Social breaks, such as chatting with your peers, have also been found to be beneficial.
