Under the legislation, there are three types of breaks for workers over the age of 18:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The amount of time given for a rest break at work will depend on the company; some may stick to the minimum 20 minutes while others may give staff more.<\/p>\n\n\n Employers can decide when employees have to take their break as long as they fulfil the following conditions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It doesn\u2019t count as a rest break if an employee is required to go back to work before the break is finished by their employer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, unless it is specified within their contract, employees don\u2019t have the right to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find more information on rest breaks at work on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website<\/a> and the UK government website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Young workers have extra rights to protect them because of their age. The rules on young workers apply from school leaving age until they turn 18<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By law, a worker aged between school leaving age and 17 must not work more than eight hours a day and 40 hours a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They must also have, as a minimum:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Worker Protection Act 2023 changes came into effect for all businesses in October 2024. The Act places a new legal obligation on employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Our\u00a0Sexual Harassment Training<\/a>\u00a0course helps businesses comply with their new responsibilities.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n Rest breaks at work are vital for both our physical and mental wellbeing. The human body can\u2019t stay in a static position for prolonged periods, nor can the mind focus continuously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Little changes of scenery and activity are perfect for a quick stretch, but a longer lunch break is equally as important. Regular breaks can also help prevent common office-related injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below are some of the most important benefits of taking regular breaks at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we\u2019ve explained, the human body isn\u2019t designed to be static for prolonged periods of time as this can lead to a number of health issues, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rest breaks help minimise strain on the:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You should take frequent breaks away from your work area and walk about to break up long periods of sitting still. If you work at a desk, you should stretch, alter your position slightly or do some small desk exercises at least every hour. This prevents you from remaining static for too long, especially in an awkward or twisted position, as this can cause MSDs and headaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you work in a role that involves manual handling or physical excursion, it\u2019s important to take a break to prevent muscle strain and overuse.<\/p>\n\n\n Employees need to be sufficiently trained to handle occupational hazards, and understand how to keep themselves and others safe at work. Check out our range of Health and Safety courses<\/a>, including Health and Safety Training for Employees<\/a>, Manual Handling Awareness<\/a> and Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Training<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n Most people experience stress at work, in varying degrees of severity. High workloads and demanding deadlines often result in employees skipping lunch breaks and working long hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, it\u2019s important that you have a good work-life balance. Otherwise, it can result in a quick burn out, high levels of stress and high employee turnover<\/a>. Taking regular breaks at work can help to reduce the risk of stress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Prolonged stress can create a number of symptoms including, but not limited to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out our article on stress management activities to try at home<\/a>. Equally, you may find our free workplace stress risk assessment<\/a> helpful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Our ability to maintain consistent attention dwindles after around 45 minutes, so stepping away from a piece of work, shifting attention to something else, and then returning with fresh eyes gives us a chance to refocus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It can also help with productivity. This is defined as efficiently completing tasks or achieving goals, without compromising either the quality of the work or your physical or mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n It might sound counterproductive, but if you can feel your progress slowing down or you are struggling to complete a certain task, sometimes the best thing you can do is step away from the problem for a short while. This isn\u2019t just applicable to office work, either, where you can leave your desk \u2013 this applies to any task in any setting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking five minutes away from the situation to reset allows you to return with a clearer head. This can help you to see the solution to a problem more clearly and therefore increases the chance of you completing it, making your day more productive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more information, check out our article: How to be Productive at Work: Guidance for Employees<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taking regular breaks is important for our mental health and wellbeing, especially in the workplace. Depending on where you work, this will be easier for some than others, but you can improve wellbeing with some minimal changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To switch things up, try:<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of these things may seem small, but they can make a huge difference for our mental wellbeing, and you can return to work with a much clearer, more focused mind.<\/p>\n\n\n We offer a range of Mental Health courses<\/a> that have been developed by our team of experts to help you manage your own mental health as well as learn the skills to support others. These include Mental Health Awareness<\/a>, Resilience Training<\/a> and Stress Awareness in the Workplace<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n Over the past couple of years, many organisations have chosen to implement hybrid working, meaning there is a large proportion of the workforce that operate from home. Some companies have even introduced remote working full time, meaning that more people are working from home than ever before. You can check out our article on the benefits and challenges of working from home, here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The tips we provided earlier in the article are all still relevant and applicable to people who work from home \u2013 however, some are even more important to follow than for those working in an office full-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rest breaks are just as important to take when working from home as they are in any other work environment. There can be a tendency to stay working at a desk for longer hours than you would in an office, due to the familiar setting, and there may not be anyone around to encourage you to take a break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to comply with the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, there are certain welfare provisions that an employer must provide for their employees. This includes, \u2018so far as is reasonably practicable\u2019 providing adequate and appropriate welfare facilities for them while they are at work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For all workplaces, permanent or temporary, minimum requirements must be met, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can find out more information on welfare provisions detailed in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 in the HSE\u2019s guidance, here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Generally, a break room includes a fully-equipped kitchen, including a kettle or tea and coffee machine and comfortable seats and tables. However, it can be beneficial to include some recreational aspects to encourage relaxation such as a bookshelf or a TV, and to enhance the environment with notice boards, photographs, plants, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n It\u2019s important to make sure that break rooms are accessible and an inclusive environment for all employees. Check out our article on How to Promote Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace<\/a> for more information on this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We hope you\u2019ve found this article on why rest breaks are important for your business both informative and helpful. If you have any further questions, or wish to find out more information on the topics covered in this article, please don\u2019t hesitate to get in touch with us at High Speed Training!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rest breaks at work are vital for both our physical and mental wellbeing. Discover the law on breaks at work and suggestions for employee break rooms here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":67391,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[69,71,73],"class_list":["post-7516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-human-resources","tag-leadership-management","tag-mental-health"],"acf":{"schema_disabled":false,"schema_properties_FAQPage_question_answer":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_tools":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_supplies":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_steps":null,"schema_properties_WebPage_cssSelector":null,"schema_sameAs_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_override":false},"yoast_head":"\n\n
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Young workers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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<\/div>Did you know…<\/h3><\/div><\/div>
\n\n\n\nWhy is it Important to Take Breaks at Work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Physical wellbeing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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<\/div>\nHealth and Safety Courses<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Reducing stress<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Improving concentration and productivity<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nMental wellbeing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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<\/div>\nMental Health Courses<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Working from home<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nFurther Resources:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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