What are the two effective measures to prevent fatigue during busy periods?
When your day is packed with work, the long hours can leave you feeling fatigued, but new research suggests that two simple strategies can help prevent peak season fatigue.
Surviving busy season: Using the job demands‐resources model to investigate coping mechanisms - Jefferson - Contemporary Accounting Research - Wiley Online Library
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1911-3846.12999
Two simple steps can mitigate worker fatigue during busy seasons, VCU research finds - VCU News - Virginia Commonwealth University
https://www.news.vcu.edu/article/2025/01/two-simple-steps-can-mitigate-worker-fatigue-during-busy-seasons-vcu-research-finds
Study Reveals 2 Key Ways to Reduce Fatigue at Work : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/study-reveals-2-key-ways-to-reduce-fatigue-at-work
Researchers in organizational behavior and psychology have shown that various forms of vacation, such as seasonal vacations, weekends, and after-work activities, are associated with employee performance, fatigue, and well-being. In the past decade, more attention has been paid to the possibility that voluntary rest periods of a few seconds to a few minutes during work, known as 'microbreaks,' may reduce fatigue during the workday.
In addition, organizational support theory indicates that support from workplace managers is the basis for employee performance, job satisfaction, and stress management. By supporting the work of their subordinates and evaluating their work performance, managers can reduce stress and anxiety in employees.
Based on these theories, a research team from Wake Forest University , Virginia Commonwealth University and other institutions in the United States investigated the effects of 'regular microbreaks' and 'support from superiors' on fatigue.
The research team surveyed certified public accountants, who work in a relatively stressful job, in early November, when they tend to work during their normal working hours, and in late January, when they are in their busy season. During the survey, participants answered questions to evaluate their sleep quality and fatigue levels, as well as questions to measure the microbreaks they took during the day's workday and support they received from their superiors.
The results showed that both microbreaks and regular support from superiors reduced employee fatigue. The effects of these measures were not seen during normal periods, but only during busy periods, suggesting that they may be effective during times of high stress.
The graph below shows that the higher the vertical axis, the less fatigue felt, and the lower the vertical axis, the more fatigue felt. The horizontal axis shows fatigue in 'Normal' and 'Busy' periods. During normal periods, there was no effect of microbreaks or support from superiors, but during busy periods, there was less fatigue in 'c' (with microbreaks) and 'b' (with support from superiors), and the effect was particularly strong in 'a' (with both microbreaks and support from superiors).
Microbreaks and supervisor support were also reported to have a positive effect on sleep quality and energy the next day, and a follow-up study with different subjects showed that taking microbreaks also reduced task errors.
According to the research team, microbreaks help people recover by temporarily shifting their attention away from work. Examples of microbreaks include drinking coffee or eating a snack, doing some quick stretches, or reading a short news article.
'First, microbreaks are a simple and cost-effective way to manage fatigue, especially during times of high workload. Second, supervisory support plays an important role in reducing fatigue,' said
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