We all have different work patterns which are broken up with breaks. There is no one way of working and on how many or how long a break should be. In the commercial world employers dictate when breaks occur and in self employment the employee becomes the arbiter of when to stop for a break.
The self employed tend to have fewer breaks and shorter length breaks as they are more driven to get work done to earn money. When people are employed and are enjoying their job they will abide by the employers break programme and are willing to work extra if required.
If however the employee doesn’t enjoy their job their working day will be defined by the break and will lunge from one break to the next until the eventual extended break of going home appears.
In the manufacturing world where the changing of clothes is required most employers will demand that employees change in their own time at the beginning of the day and in the firms time at the end of the day. This development shows that the last few minutes of the working day are not very productive as most employees have switched off around twenty minutes before leaving time.
One way of avoiding this loss of productivity is to introduce flexitime where an employee can manipulate their hours to produce the most productive day possible. Employees who have to queue up for their break refreshments become resentful as by the time they sit down they are already being called back to the work station. They will squeeze as much time out of the employer as possible. For this reason refreshments should be supplied as soon as the employee goes on a break. Resentment can cause the employee to spend too long in the bathroom and is constantly running off to the toilet.
Breaks can be very beneficial for an employer as working systems are more productive if the work patterns are broken up in creative jobs where gaps are essential for maximum creativity. They are also essential for the self employed as over working can make them stale and in efficient.
Peter Bull. ( Author of the GET INTOUCH SERIES )