The Impact of Microbreaks on Employee Productivity in Hybrid Work Environments

Abstract

This research addresses the effect of micro breaks, defined as short, voluntary pauses during work hours, on self, reported productivity of professional knowledge workers across hybrid, remote, and on, premise work settings. The quantitative cross, sectional survey (N = 250) serves as the main source for the study, which examines how micro break frequency, duration, and type impact employee focus, digital fatigue, and productivity. The authors used several statistical analyses, including independent, samples t, tests and one, way ANOVA, to show that employees who regularly take micro breaks report productivity at a higher level and digital fatigue at a lower level significantly (p = . 036). The success of micro breaks depends on their nature, as physical and sensory breaks seem to be more rejuvenating than digital distractions. Apart from that, micro break habits vary from different working models in such a way that workers from hybrid and remote conditions take more breaks but are more likely to experience guilt. The results provide support for Attention Restoration Theory as well as Conservation of Resources theory, pointing to micro breaks as indispensable mechanisms of self, regulation for the maintenance of cognitive resources in a digital, intensive environment. The research study is a source of practical proposals for the management of the organization in order to make break autonomy a normal phenomenon, facilitate the implementation of buffer, time policies, and stimulate digital wellness training as means of employee well, being and performance in the hybrid work setting.