Microbreaks key to boosting energy and motivation at work, study finds

Employees who incorporate microbreaks alongside work-related strategies into their workday are more motivated and energized, University of Queensland research has found.

The paper is published in the Journal of Business and Psychology.

Associate Professor Stacey Parker from UQ’s School of Psychology led a study examining different approaches to managing energy levels at work and their effects on staff well-being, motivation and stress.

The study involved office workers wearing heart rate monitors and completing brief surveys throughout the workday, allowing researchers to measure both psychological and physiological responses.

“There are lots of things people can do to stay energized and motivated at work, including taking a quick walk, chatting with a colleague or planning their goals for the day,” Parker said.

“Taking short pauses, or ‘microbreaks,’ alongside activities such as organizing work can help people manage their energy levels.

“We found these behaviors tend to group together into five common patterns, or energy-management profiles, that people use throughout the workday.”

1. Moving: taking short physical microbreaks to walk or stretch
2. Socializing: connecting with colleagues via brief social or work-related conversations
3. Meaningful organizing: planning and organizing work, like updating to-do lists, calendars and goals, and reflecting on the meaning of one’s work
4. Active strategizing: combining meaningful organizing strategies with different types of microbreaks within the same hour
5. Passive strategizing: staying mainly focused on work tasks, with little use of energy-management strategies

The study showed employees recorded the highest levels of energy, motivation and a sense of mastery at work when they actively strategized—meaningfully organizing their work alongside taking microbreaks.

But Parker said this approach was used in only 6% of the more than 600 work hours studied.

“Surprisingly, only around 25% of employees could be classified as effective strategists who regularly used beneficial energy-management approaches,” she said.

“Our findings suggest employees don’t have to choose between working and taking a break.

“They can combine restorative activities with work-focused strategies, even within a single hour, and gain benefits for both well-being and performance.”

Parker said the findings could help organizations design more effective well-being initiatives and create healthier workplaces.

“There’s a real opportunity for employers to give people the information, tools and support they need to manage their energy more effectively,” she said.

“There’s still work to be done, but these findings provide practical guidance on how employees can feel better, stay motivated and cope more effectively with the demands of work.”

Who’s behind this story?

Swati Mestri

Swati Mestri holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space.

Full profile →

Alexander Pol

PhD nano-engineering from Delft University. Published researcher and journal reviewer. Brings scientific insight to content standards.

Full profile →