Employees' work breaks and their physical and mental health: Results from a representative German survey

Recharging for the future: how micro-breaks shape work prospection among Chinese employees

Despite a surge of research on micro-breaks in recent years, the interactional nature of this recovery behavior during working hours still needs to be explored. Drawing on the Social Exchange Theory and Conservation of Resources Theory, first, we found from a study that included three online vignette experiments (Study 1, N = 551) that three micro-break support conditions (management support, supervisor norms, and coworker norms) enhanced the positive relationship between micro-breaks and three affective relationships (affective organizational commitment, affective supervisor-subordinate guanxi, and friendship prevalence), respectively. Second, a two-wave time-lag survey study (Study 2, N = 208) replicated the findings of Study 1 and verified the positive relationship between micro-breaks and positive affective work prospection and the mediating role of affective relationships therein and the moderating effect of micro-break support. Furthermore, through supplementary analyses, we found possible recursive relationships among the three affective relationships; supervisor-subordinate guanxi are likely to be antecedents of organizational commitment. This study's findings provide essential theoretical contributions to promote employee recovery in the workplace from a reciprocal perspective and provide insights into best practices in human resource management. Organizations and managers must provide an environment that supports micro-breaks for employees, as these supports help employees build affective relationships in the organization, leading to resource supplementation and, ultimately, resource gain. Finally, we discuss the limitations of the study and future research directions.

Nutritional Education in Polish Companies: Employee Needs and the Role of Employers in Health Promotion

The modern work environment is constantly evolving, and with it, the emphasis on employee health and well-being is increasing.

BACKGROUND

Nutritional education has become a key component of health promotion strategies in many companies that recognize the benefits of healthy eating habits for enhancing efficiency and job satisfaction.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to understand employees' nutritional needs at work, and to assess the support provided by employers. The analysis focused on employees' eating habits and their attitudes towards eating at work, motives and barriers to healthy eating.

METHODS

The study was conducted using an anonymous survey completed by 1.056 individuals from across Poland. A discriminant function was selected for data analysis, which examined the differences between groups.

RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS

The larger enterprises are more inclined to establish meal consumption spaces, which contributes to a more organised work culture. The larger the business, the more time employees spend eating meals, it being influenced by better-developed eating facilities, which undoubtedly encourages the workers to take longer breaks. The people with obesity were found to place the highest value on healthy food options and the people with a normal BMI are more responsive to healthy food subsidies, nutritional advice provided by a dietitian, and access to fitness facilities.

Physical activity, musculoskeletal disorders, burnout, and work engagement: a cross-sectional study on Italian white-collar employees

Introduction

Both mental and physical health of office workers had a positive relationship with their work engagement, with the latter relationship being driven by the association of a healthy diet and physical activity (PA). This observational study aimed to investigate the associations between PA levels, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), burnout, and work engagement, in a sample of white-collar employees.

Methods

A total of 615 workers (age 42.2 ± 9.5 years) successfully completed an online questionnaire comprising work-related information and standardized questionnaires on PA, MSDs, burnout and work engagement.

Results

36.9% of the participants did not meet the PA guidelines, 19.0% adhered to them, and 44.1% exceeded them. A significant portion of participants reported suffering from MSDs, primarily neck/shoulder and/or low back/hip pain. Those exceeding PA guidelines had fewer MSDs compared to non-compliant participants and exhibited better mental health and work engagement. Compliance with PA guidelines was associated with a 38% reduced risk of emotional exhaustion, with an even greater reduction of 47% among those surpassing the guidelines.

Discussion

PA could exert a positive effect on physical and mental health of employees, but only if performed above a certain amount. The study supports the need to identify workplaces as suitable for health-focused interventions and lifestyle changes.

A comparison between veterinary small animal general practitioners and emergency practitioners in Australia. Part 1: demographic and work-related factors

Occupational stressors are commonly encountered in small animal veterinary practice and have been associated with burnout. The working context of veterinarians differs by specialty, and this can potentially lead to variable exposures to risk factors for burnout. The aim of this study was to explore differences in demographic and working conditions of veterinary general practitioners (GPs) and emergency practitioners (EPs) to compare exposure to different potential stressors. An anonymous, online survey was administered to veterinary GPs and EPs practicing in metropolitan regions of Australia. In total, 320 participant responses were analyzed (n = 237, 74.2% GPs and n = 83, 25.9% EPs). Significant differences (P < 0.05) in the demographics and work-related exposures were found between the two groups. GPs were found to be older than EPs with a greater number of years of experience in their field (P < 0.001). Most veterinary GPs worked only day shifts (207/236, 87.7%); where EPs worked a greater variety of shift patterns, with "only day shifts" being the least common shift pattern (P < 0.001). Most GPs worked a set and predictable roster pattern (195/236, 83.6%), while most EPs did not (51/83, 61.5%). EPs worked more weekends and public holidays (P < 0.001). The EP group performed more hours of work each week but worked less overtime. The main contributing factors for overtime were scheduling factors for GPs and staffing issues for EPs. EPs were commonly not able to take meal-breaks and GPs' meal-breaks were commonly interrupted by work. EPs were more frequently exposed to patient death, euthanasia (including for financial reasons), emotionally distressed clients and delivering negative news (P < 0.001). Both groups indicated that most work environments were collegiate and supportive, and a minority reported toxic colleagues (11.8%) or management teams (26.9%). Just under one-half of respondents reported having witnessed or experienced workplace bullying. Of our respondent group, 52.0% (166/319) were not satisfied with their remuneration. Desire to leave their principal area of practice was prevalent among this survey group (192/319, 60.2%) with approximately one-third considering leaving the veterinary profession. We discuss the implications of these workplace factors, including mitigation strategies.