UK workers 'must take time to relax'
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Individuals working in finance jobs could be more productive if they are encouraged to take regular breaks, one expert has stated.
According to clinical psychotherapist Terri Bodell, a culture of people working through lunch breaks or taking it at their desk can make them stressed and less energetic, which in turn may result in reduced performance.
"The consequence of this is stress, burnout and eventually sickness and staff absence - all of which are costly to companies," she stated.
Recently, it was calculated by PwC that absenteeism due to illness costs UK firms £32 billion every year.
In order to combat this, Ms Bodell recommended individuals take a lunch break of at least half an hour away from their desk, as well as 20 minutes rests in the morning and afternoon.
She explained that humans are "not designed" to work non-stop for eight hours every day, but rather the brain has an 'up cycle' of around two hours, followed by a 'down cycle' that lasts about 20 minutes.
Therefore, "switch off time" should be "the rule rather than the exception" in order to increase a workforce's productivity, the expert concluded.
