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Recent research shows that people are more likely to take “micro-cuts” at work on tired days – but that’s not a bad thing. Researchers have found that micro-cuts appear to help tired employees recover from morning fatigue and become more involved in their work during the day.
These are the micro-cuts, which are short, voluntary and impromptu respites in the working day. Micro-cuts include discretionary activities such as having a snack, chatting with a coworker, stretching, or working on a crossword puzzle.
“A microbreak is, by definition, short,” says Sophia Cho, co-author of a work article and assistant professor of psychology at North Carolina State University. “But a five-minute break can be golden if you take it at the right time. Our research shows that it’s in a company’s best interests to empower employees to take micro-cuts when they are needed – it helps employees manage their energy efficiently and engage in their work throughout the day. “
The new paper is based on two studies that explored the problems associated with micro-cuts in the working day. Specifically, the studies aimed to improve our understanding of how people increase or maintain their energy levels throughout the day in order to engage in work even when they start the day already exhausted. The studies also looked at factors that may play a role in determining whether people took micro-cuts or what they did during micro-cuts.
The first study involved 98 workers in the United States. Study participants were asked to complete two surveys per day for 10 consecutive work days. The surveys were completed in the morning and at the end of the working day. The second study involved 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.
The survey questions in both studies aimed to collect data on each study participant’s sleep quality, fatigue levels, as well as their engagement in their work and their experiences in the workplace that day. -the. In the studies, researchers analyzed survey data using statistical tools to examine daily fluctuations in sleep quality, fatigue, work behavior, and engagement in various types of micro-cuts.
The results were simple: on days when people were already tired when they arrived at work, they tended to take micro-cuts more frequently. And taking micro-cuts has helped them maintain their energy levels. This, in turn, helped them meet the demands of the job and better engage in the job.
“Basically, micro-cuts help you manage your energy resources during the day – and it’s especially beneficial on days when you’re tired,” Cho says.
Additionally, the researchers found that people were more likely to take micro-cuts if they felt their employer cared about the health and well-being of their workers.
“When people think their employer cares about their health, they feel more empowered to freely make decisions about when to take micro-cuts and what type of micro-cuts to take,” Cho says. “And it’s ultimately good for the employer and the employee.”
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The article, “Daily microbreaks through the prism of self-regulatory resources: the health climate perceived as a contextual moderator via microbreak autonomy”, is published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. The article was co-authored by Sooyeol Kim of the National University of Singapore and Youngah Park of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
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