The Influence of Work Breaks on the Choice of Recovery Activities mediated by End-of-Workday Fatigue: a diary study

Mental fatigue and burnout are an increasing problem within the current working population, prompting research to get a clearer understanding of how individuals can successfully recover. The current study examined recovery at work (i.e., frequency of breaks) and end-of-workday fatigue as predictors of the engagement in two different types of leisure recovery activities (i.e., passive versus active). Based upon the Effort-Recovery Model and Conservation of Resources theory, it was hypothesized that high end-of-workday fatigue would lead to more engagement in passive recovery activities (e.g., watching television) and less engagement in active recovery activities (e.g., working out, meeting up with friends). In addition, a greater frequency of work breaks was expected to lead to less end-of-workday fatigue. Lastly, it was predicted that end-of-workday fatigue acted as a mediator in the relationship between frequency of breaks and type of recovery activity. Data was gathered through a...Show moreMental fatigue and burnout are an increasing problem within the current working population, prompting research to get a clearer understanding of how individuals can successfully recover. The current study examined recovery at work (i.e., frequency of breaks) and end-of-workday fatigue as predictors of the engagement in two different types of leisure recovery activities (i.e., passive versus active). Based upon the Effort-Recovery Model and Conservation of Resources theory, it was hypothesized that high end-of-workday fatigue would lead to more engagement in passive recovery activities (e.g., watching television) and less engagement in active recovery activities (e.g., working out, meeting up with friends). In addition, a greater frequency of work breaks was expected to lead to less end-of-workday fatigue. Lastly, it was predicted that end-of-workday fatigue acted as a mediator in the relationship between frequency of breaks and type of recovery activity. Data was gathered through a diary study with three daily surveys (i.e., morning, afternoon, evening). Only participants who had worked at least 7.5 hours and had filled in the afternoon and evening survey on that same day were included in the study (N = 53). Results from the study show that frequency of breaks does not predict end-of-workday fatigue. Also, end-of-workday fatigue in turn does not predict the type of recovery activities that are pursued. Consequently, no support is found for end-of-workday fatigue as a mediator between frequency of breaks and type of recovery activities. Due to possible sampling bias, the findings from this study should be interpreted with caution. Future research should try to repeat the current study with a more heterogeneous sample, to know whether the current findings hold true.Show less

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The Influence of Work Breaks on the Choice of Recovery Activities mediated by End-of-Workday Fatigue: a diary study