The “Goldilocks Zone” for Productivity: Taking Breaks for Office Workers improves their Productivity!
Nicolas BEHBAHANI
Global People Analytics & HR Data Leader - People & Culture | Strategical People Analytics Design
?? Making time for breaks during the workday improves employee productivity and well-being, and yet half of all desk workers say they rarely or never take breaks.
?? There is indeed a "Goldilocks Zone" for employee productivity: more than two hours a day is the tipping point at which a majority of workers say they’re spending “too much time” in meetings.
?? Employees who log off at the end of the workday register 20% higher productivity scores than those who feel obligated to work after hours.
One in five (20%) employees don’t have enough time to connect with coworkers, and this problem is most pronounced among more junior employees, according to a new interesting research published by Slack using data ?? from a survey administrated by Qualtrics 10,333 full time employees (desk workers) in the US, Australia, France, Germany, Japan and the UK between August 24 an Sept 15,2023.
?The “Goldilocks Zone” for productivity
Researchers found that on average, the ideal amount of focus time for desk workers is around four hours a day, and more than two hours a day in meetings is the tipping point at which a majority of workers feel overburdened by meetings.
Also employee who say they spend too much time in meetings are more than twice as likely to feel they don’t have enough time to focus.
Workers are struggling to balance their time say:
?? 1 in 4 they spend too much time in meetings
?? 1 in 4 say they spend too much time in email
?? 1 in 5 don’t have enough time to connect with coworkers
?Meeting overload is a real problem
Researchers noticed that the further up the management chain people are, the more they struggle with meeting overload. Executives are the most impacted by meetings.
One in five (20%) don’t have enough time to connect with coworkers, and this problem is most pronounced among more junior employees.
?People need to take regular breaks to be productive
Alarmingly, researchers found that many workers across all levels are plowing through their daily tasks without any down time: Half of desk workers surveyed (50%) say they rarely or never take breaks during the workday. These workers are 1.7x more likely to experience burnout.
Their break-taking counterparts, on the other hand, show:
?? 62% higher scores for work-life balance,
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?? 43% greater ability to manage stress and anxiety,
?? 43% greater overall satisfaction
?? and 13% higher scores for productivity.
?After hours work is not required
Employees who feel obligated to work after-hours register 20% lower productivity scores than those who log off at the end of the standard workday. They also report:
?? Finally, researchers estimated that for the three activities below, employees expect AI tools to provide the most value in the future:
?? Meeting notes and recaps
?? Writing assistance
?? Automation of workflows
Thank you ?? Slack researchers team for these insightful findings:
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Great insights! Taking breaks and disconnecting after work are crucial for productivity and well-being. It's important to find that balance for optimal performance. Thanks for sharing!
Industry Veteran | Exploring Future of Work | Great Manager’s Coach & Mentor
11 个月This is mission critical Nicolas BEHBAHANI, ?? ?? The key organizational adaptations lie in orchestrating well-timed meetings, endorsing frequent breaks, & leveraging AI tools that complement employee workflows. ?? The goal is to establish a culture that maximizes productivity while prioritizing the well-being ??of our employees. ? v/s ?, my way is - "Different stokes for Different people." Have Dialogical OD intervention.
Lead consultant in HR Strategy & Value Management. Enhancing Value through Human Performance. Delivery of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Training. Lecturer and International Speaker on HRM and Value Management.
11 个月Yet again you have shared a timely piece of research Nicolas BEHBAHANI. Firstly, I am not surprised that the problem of communication with co-workers is pronounced among junior workers - despite the fact that it is they who most need development. I have previously highlighted research from Forbes that found that many early careers professionals haven't had the benefit of traditional company orientation (onboarding), team building events and an opportunity for professional networking. Another thing that I have noticed is that many office workers tend to eat their lunch at their desks (a habit that is not amenable to wellbeing). When working in a hybrid setting, employers need to ensure that time is given to collaboration (for instance the sharing of implicit learning and putting that learning into context). There is also a need to highlight any changes that have taken place whilst people have been working remotely. These are things that would normally be picked up in the office where people are working there full-time. Again, meetings should be kept as short as possible - a strict agenda can help and a chairperson who can move things on and encourage people to take things 'off line' where possible.
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11 个月Absolutely fascinating insights! Taking breaks and finding work-life balance is crucial for productivity and well-being. ??