Sleep, Exercise, Breaks & Free Time – The Key Ingredients of Workplace Performance

A good night’s sleep, a bit of morning exercise, a couple of short breaks and something to look forward to in our free time can do wonders for our workplace performance. Read our blog for more information.

Key Ingredients of Workplace Performance - Productivity

As it’s still January, the time of resolutions that will stand us in good stead for the rest of the year; we’re going to explore a number of ways to stay happy, healthy, motivated and performing to the best of our ability at work.

It all starts with a good night’s sleep. When we’re tired, our performance takes a real hit. Not only are we low on energy and unable to focus, we become more irritable and less able to deal with stressful situations. There is also a strong correlation between sleep deprivation and the onset of high blood pressure, depression and heart disease. To combat the detrimental effects of employee sleep deprivation, many organisations are introducing sleep-friendly areas for short productivity naps. Could anyone else do with forty winks right about now?

This one may take some getting used to, especially if you’re like me, somewhat zombie-like before that first morning cup of coffee! Studies suggest that exercising for around twenty to thirty minutes in the morning improves concentration, memory capacity and the ability to think outside the box. Morning exercise is also a potent stress reliever and effective in overcoming mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. We’ve all heard the saying healthy body, healthy mind!

Breaks help to recharge the energy batteries and avoid symptoms commonly derived from sitting at a desk, looking at a computer such as general aches and pains or eye strain. Although lunch breaks provide the opportunity for a time-out and a change of scenery; it is advised that shorter breaks should also be scheduled throughout the day. A common opinion is that people ought to take a break every forty minutes or so but this is unlikely to make you very popular with your employers. Start by stepping away from your desk for a couple of minutes at certain points of the day to avoid work overload.

How we use our free time can also have a considerable impact on our workplace morale and productivity. While we all like to relax and unwind when we’re away from the office; it is important to plan activities that will give you something to look forward to. Whether it’s a summer holiday, mini-break or just a game of tennis after work; make sure that light at the end of the tunnel is bright!

Developed by ELF Productivity, Ceequel® Software Suite is a true workforce management solution. Our intelligent time and attendance systems deliver streamlined clocking to payroll processes and comprehensive labour planning platforms. All shift patterns, overtime, flexitime, holiday allocations and breaks can be configured swiftly, to the highest degree of accuracy. For a free-of-charge consultation, please contact ELF Productivity.

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