Employees in many occupations deplete cognitive resources of attention and energy (Dodge, 1913; Kahneman, 1973), impacting performance on subsequent work tasks (Dalal, Bhave, & Fiset, 2014). Individuals spend upwards of 10% of formal work time taking a break completing non-work tasks (Esteves, 2013; McGehee & Owen, 1940) in an effort to replenish these resources (Fritz, Lam, & Spritzer, 2011; Kim et al., 2014). This study used a randomized controlled experiment to answer three questions that are new contributions to the literature. First, I explored if engaging in a specific activity (watching a funny video, meditating, or completing a different work task) during the microbreak helped induce recovery processes. Second, I questioned if an individual’s appraisal (psychological detachment, relaxation, and enjoyment) of the break impacted outcomes in addition to, or potentially more than, engaging in a break activity. Third, I investigated if the time duration (1-minute, 5-minute, or 9-minute) of the microbreak impacted outcomes. Results show that taking any break between work tasks allowed individuals to feel less fatigued, more energized, and more attentive. Surprisingly, in many instances a 1-minute break was just as effective as taking a longer break of 5 or 9 minutes, and for these shorter break periods, engaging in a different work task for a short period rather than disengaging from work was the best at improving attention. In addition, to increase feeling energized at work, appraising the break as being enjoyable was more important than the actual break activity. Combined, this study has both an academic and practical impact, finding that just like with work that depletes physical resources, short breaks also benefit employees engaging in work that depleted cognitive resources.

Bakgrund: Stillasittande har blivit ett allt större folkhälsoproblem. Stillasittande ökar risken för kroniska sjukdomar såsom hjärt-och kärlsjukdomar, typ 2 diabetes, olika cancerformer och förtidig död. Syftet: Syftet med studien är att undersöka vilka strategier som finns och möjliggör till effektiva pauser under arbetsdagen. Metod: Studien genomfördes som en allmän litteraturstudie och baserades på tjugovetenskapliga artiklar. Resultat: Resultatet av litteraturstudien uppvisar olika hälsopromotiva åtgärder som främjar hälsa och besvarar studiens syfte. Efter analysering av samtliga artiklar framkom tre huvudkategorier: Förutsättningar, individanpassning och eget ansvar. Slutsats: Granskningen visade att korta frekventa pauser på förmiddagen är fördelaktiga för arbetsförmågan samt att längre raster på eftermiddagen är fördelaktigt för att behålla arbetsförmågan under de senare arbetstimmarna. / Background: Sedentary behaviour has become an increasing public health problem. Sedentary increases the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, various forms of cancer and premature death. Purpose: The purpose was to investigate which strategies exist and enable effective breaks during the working day. Method: The study was conducted as a literature review and was based on twenty scientific papers. Result: The result of the literature study shows various health promotion measures that promote health and answer the purpose of the study. After analysing all the articles, three main categories emerged: Prerequisites, individual adaptation and personal responsibility. Conclusion: The review showed that short frequent breaks in the morning are beneficial for work ability and longer breaks in the afternoon are beneficial for maintaining work ability during the later working hours.