“In fact, micro-fractures help you manage your energy resources throughout the day – and this is especially beneficial on days when you’re tired.” – NCSU Instructor
RALEIGH – Recent research shows that people are more likely to take “micro-fractures” to work on days when they are tired – but this is not a bad thing. The researchers found that micro-fractures seem to help tired employees jump back from their morning fatigue and become better involved in their work throughout the day.
At issue are micro-fractures, which are short, voluntary and improvised procrastination in the working day. Micro-fractures include discretionary activities, such as having a snack, talking to a colleague, stretching, or working out a crossword puzzle.
“A microbreak is by definition short,” says Sophia Cho, co-author of a paper on the work and an assistant professor of psychology at North Carolina State University. ‘But a five-minute break can be quick if you take it at the right time. Our study shows that it is in the interest of a business to give employees autonomy over the use of microbreweries when needed. It helps employees manage their energy effectively and get involved in their work throughout the day. ‘
The new paper is based on two studies that examined issues regarding micro-fractures in the workday. The studies were specifically aimed at improving our understanding of how people increase or maintain their energy levels throughout the day to participate in work, even when they are already starting the day exhausted. The studies also investigated the factors that may play a role in determining whether people took microbreaks, or what they did during the microbreaks.
The first study interviewed 98 workers in the United States. Study participants were asked to complete ten surveys per day for ten consecutive working days. The surveys were completed in the mornings and at the end of the working day. The second study included 222 workers in South Korea. This study allowed participants to complete three surveys per day for five working days. Study participants completed the surveys in the morning, after lunch, and at the end of the workday.
Survey questions in both studies were aimed at collecting data on the sleep quality of each study participant, the degree of fatigue, as well as their involvement in their work and their experiences in the workplace that day. In the studies, the researchers analyzed the surveys with statistical tools to investigate the daily fluctuations in sleep quality, fatigue, work behavior and involvement in different types of micro-fractures.
The results were simple: on days when people were tired when they arrived at work, they tended to take microbreaks more frequently. And by taking microbreaks, they helped maintain their energy level. This in turn helped them to meet job requirements and engage better with the job.
“In fact, micro-fractures help manage your energy resources throughout the day – and this is especially beneficial on days when you’re tired,” says Cho.
In addition, the researchers found that people are more likely to take micro-fractures when they feel that their employer cares about the health and well-being of its workers.
“When people think their employer cares about their health, they feel more empowered to make free decisions about when to take micro-breaks and what kind of micro-breaks they should take,” says Cho. “And it’s ultimately good for both the employer and the employee.”
The paper, “Daily microbreaks in a self-regulating resources lens: Perceptived health climate as a contextual moderator via microbreak autonomy,” is published in the article Journal of Applied Psychology. The article is co-authored by Sooyeol Kim of the National University of Singapore, and by Youngah Park of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
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