Breaks help us to refresh our energy and focus on important things again like tasks, children or important conversations…
Spain and Italy are among the countries with the longest lunch break. The traditional Spanish “Siesta”, being a three-hour break in the middle of the workday, is known globally and really works. Italians, on the other hand, regard lunch as the most important meal and close their stores between 1 and 3 pm without any problems, in order to enjoy the specialties of the domestic kitchen surrounded by their families
The rest of the modern world still does not understand the benefits resulting from taking a breath away from work requirements and obligations. Surveys show that half of employees cannot even take a short break because of a too big workload, while a third of employees complain about the pressure applied by managers to make them work, even during their seemingly paid break. Due to the implicit or explicit expectation of their uninterrupted availability and not to miss any information of (vital) importance, many employees, in the best case, have lunch at their office desk, as stated on the portal, Psihobrlog.
A study conducted by Charlotte Fritz, professor of Organizational Psychology at Portland State University, has shown that mini-breaks from work, like telephone calls or checking social media are not only connected to not decreasing fatigue, but they even amplify it. Thus, it is important how we spend our break, but also how long it lasts. Concerning the preference of family, healthy nutrition and mental health before the company interests, we can learn a lot from Italians and Spaniards.
Based on these findings, we recommend that when you take a break, you combine it with something healthy, something that will provide enough vitamins,
