Can 15 minute desk breaks protect employees from poor mental health?

Can 15 minute desk breaks protect employees from poor mental health?

Research studies released in time for World Mental Health Day among 26,000 desk workers around the world has highlighted the relationship between time spent at a desk, stress and impact on mental health.

One survey by ASIC, the sportswear manufacturer, confirmed that the longer workers are inactive at their desks, the more wellbeing scores fell; another study showed that stress levels rose and mental wellbeing scores declined after two hours of continuous desk work — and after four hours, stress levels increased by 18%.

Empty desks

A follow-up study by a researcher at King’s College London, looking at the mental wellbeing of 80 office workers from countries around the world, has suggested that 15 minutes of movement helped to reverse the effects of long periods of desk work. The ‘mental state’ of staff was seen to improve by 22.5%. A daily desk break for one week was seen to lower stress by 14.7%, and improve productivity by 33.2%.

As part of the #deskbreak campaign, employees are being encouraged to post images of their empty desk onto social media streams.

No silver bullets

EAPA UK chair, Karl Bennett said: “Desk breaks are a sensible way of mitigating the impact of long periods of sitting in front of a screen — a practical means of expelling the stress that can build.

“As with any wellbeing tactic, like yoga sessions and healthy snacks, they can only ever be one part of a response to the issues. It’s important that HR, and employees themselves, aren’t distracted by the idea that a single initiative is ever a solution. Employee mental health can only ever be supported effectively by ongoing attention, through listening and understanding.”