While some companies frown on employees taking breaks to surf the Internet during business hours, a new study out of the University of Cincinnati indicates these little respites can have positive impacts on workers.
Preliminary findings indicate online breaks can actually refresh employees, provide them peace of mind and enhance their focus.
Doctoral candidate Sung Doo Kim of the university’s Carl H. Linder College of Business is responsible for the study that delves into cyber breaks. While previous studies have focused on such things as off-job-hours breaks and traditional “offline” breaks and their effects on workers, Kim opted to delve into this understudied topic that has become such a common issue in today’s technologically advanced workplace.
For this study, Kim conducted one-on-one interviews with 33 professionals representing different fields. Researchers looked into four aspects of online breaks:
- Triggers that prompt online breaks
- The conditions that prompt online breaks instead of traditional offline breaks
- Different online activities performed during breaks
- Consequences of taking such breaks
About the Findings
Preliminary study findings in the four areas examined include:
- Triggers – Online breaks are often prompted when employees feel frazzled or suffer a loss of energy. They can also be trigged by boredom, anger, frustration or a desire to check-in with personal or home life.
- Conditions that prompt online breaks – Researchers found that people who spend a great deal of time online as part of their work tended to find online breaks less refreshing. Employees with public-facing jobs and those on their feet a lot were more likely to enjoy the quiet time afforded during an online break. Researchers also discovered that organizational policies could impact a worker’s decision to take online breaks. Older workers were also less inclined to take breaks online.
- Activities – Employees who take online breaks tended to use the time to either seek pleasure (reading, checking on game scores, listening to music, watching videos), or they took care of non-work-related business, such as checking in on family, bill paying, schoolwork and so on.
- Consequences – Researchers discovered three main consequences for those who took online breaks: recovery, learning and satisfaction.
Kim found that employees who use online breaks to balance their home and work responsibilities were often able to better focus on work after completing a break. Those who chose to go online to research or read industry news felt they were helping their careers and gained satisfaction as a result.
While undisciplined online breaks can lead to a loss of productivity, temporary respites in the online world can rejuvenate workers while enhancing focus, researchers found.
Although Kim says there is more research to be done, the study has revealed positive benefits can result from enabling employees to take online breaks.
