If you work from home, how strict are you with taking breaks?

[iwillwait]

I recently have suffered with my mental health at work, and one of the things my manager put in place is that I am to take regular short breaks away from my desk (around 5 minutes every hour). I really struggle to take these as I feel like I'm doing something wrong (which I know sounds silly!)

Whenever I'm in the office I'm always surprised with how often people get up to make a coffee, or go buy a coffee, or eat snacks or go on their phones. I barely get up from my desk aside to go to the loo, and maybe make one coffee in the afternoon. In my previous job (which wasn't an office-based job) I was really micromanaged to the point where our breaks were timed down to the minute, so I think that experience is affecting me.

I work via timesheets too, so 5 minutes grabbing a coffee has to be billed to something or someone, and those 5 minutes can add up across the course of a day/week.

How strict are you with your time when working? Do you take short breaks?

I take plenty of breaks - I make drinks, grab a snack put the washing in, sometimes peg it out etc

I don't work to timesheets or have to bill every minute of my time to somethng or someone and don't have to be available to take phonecalls in a call centre type set up. As long as the work gets done (it does) and nobody takes the piss (they don't), it's all fine.

I’m very strict about my breaks and even set a timer to make sure I don’t forget to take them. There’s masses of evidence out there that show that people are much more productive when they take regular breaks, so no need to feel guilty about taking them.

Interestingly, that same research also shows that people who don’t take breaks often think they’re more productive, but apparently they’re just deluding themselves.

I take a break anytime I want. Sometimes I work in a big block, sometimes I take a load of breaks. I have a lot of stuff to deliver in my work and I always do. Breaks and timings etc are up to me.

Yeah I don't think about it and if I want a break I have one. I've never believed in being too regimented and fortunately my manager cares about what I achieve not how or when I work.

Some days I hardly move from my desk for hours, other days I go for drinks / chats or time away from the office. It probably balances out but I don't take specific breaks at regular times each day.

I am self employed and work from home. I am strict with my start, finish and break times and days off. Sometimes I even give myself a half day 😏

I've recently changed from healthcare into a more office based role which is split between working from home and going into services.
I am terrible at taking breaks. 12 years in healthcare and getting used to missed breaks, not having time to drink water or use the loo. I have to remind myself to take breaks. Whether that's sitting with the clients and having a coffee, or just sitting and having a chat with colleagues about non work things.
When WFH I try to schedule breaks into my to do list, it's easier when DH is also at home and not working because he will pop up and ask me to come down into the garden for a coffee and a break.

I work for myself from home, but am so busy it is a case of how much can l get through so probably not much help....but l only take breaks when l am very hungry or thirsty, for the minimum time....l find it more productive and therefore am happier...to be made to take a break when in the flow of something seems counterproductive to me....

we do hybrid working and I definitely take breaks at home or in the office. In fact I’m typing this from next to the kettle, lol.

The fact is that my job requires a lot of precision, and staring at a screen 100% of the time is not going to help me do it well. Noticing the differences between Tu/Tn abbreviations particularly. If I don’t get up and just stretch my legs or make a tea I’m more likely to make errors, and that has a knock on effect on anyone using my work for their own further down the line. Luckily my office culture fully endorsed a good work/life balance anyway but no, you’re not doing anything wrong by stepping away from your desk for a minute.

Oh and I have to do a time sheet but I (with my manager’s approval) still bill including breaks, because I am technically available. If I’m in the office someone can chat with me in the kitchen about something, or catch me on the way back from the loo, and if I’m wfh my status on teams will still be available; I just might not answer in seconds which is the case anyway if I was in the middle of a task.

You need to realise your manager is helping you and if you don't take those breaks you'll not feel better. Set an alarm every hour to give you 5 mins. Walk around your home, stand at an open window, go on your phone etc and let your mind rest for a bit. You need to leave your previous job behind you.

If you work in a time sheet driven culture can you a) see if there is a disability code to code them to or alternatively b) I would add up the hours you work on different clients across the week and assign the total time taken in breaks proportionately - so 36 hours of client work, of which 10 hours one client, 20 another and 3 each to two more. 3 hours of breaks to assign so client 1 gets 50 mins, client 2 gets 100 mins and clients 3&4 get 15 each.

I'd recommend asking for a disability code first and then suggesting that if they don't have one. When I worked somewhere with timesheets colleagues with a disability that made their work slower had a code to put the excess time to.

I don't time my breaks, but the nature of my work is relatively flexible so provided I get everything done, it's not a problem for me to go and make a cuppa, go to the loo, nip downstairs to the newsagent to buy a snack or chat with a colleague for five minutes when I want to.

There are times, though, when (again, because of the nature of my work) I get really engrossed in a massive piece of work that needs a lot of creative focus, and that's when I find myself realising suddenly that my back hurts, my eyes are sore, my mouth's like sandpaper and I'm desperate for wee because I've been typing for about four hours solid.

Weirdly I take fewer breaks when I work from home than I do in the office.

What time increments do you charge your time in? I never used to be able to charge less than 0.5 hours so 5 mins here or there doesn't matter much. Plus I doubt your clients would mind about you taking breaks especially if it makes you more productive overall.

If you were out in a working environment you'd regularly get those breaks without noticing - toilet break, getting a drink, passing time of day with a colleague moaning about the weather, work etc. You're manager has made it clear you should take those breaks, so use them for getting a drink, toilet or just having a stretch or stepping outside, in fact, a couple of minutes outside watching the world go by and taking it in, or appreciating someone nice outside, will do you good if you've been struggling with your mental health.

I work from home. If I'm not busy then I will hang the washing out of do something similar, but sometimes when I have a lot of meetings I don't get a break at all and even find it difficult to find a minute to have a wee... so it very much depends on my workload. It is quite flexible though, and I don't feel at all had about extending my lunchbreak one day, because I know on another day I might have a meeting that goes on longer than my normal working day. It is funny though... I was only thinking yesterday about the change in culture in my office. When I first started in 2013 if I had got in a tiny bit late or left 5 minutes early (I was working in the office then) there was one particular person who would not hesitate to point it out and my times were monitored. However there was one particular day when I was taking notes at a meeting she was chairing. It was due to finish at 4pm and my husband was due to pick me up from work when I finished at 4.30. At 4pm this person said she had to leave but that I would stay to take notes. At 5pm I said I had to leave... My husband had been waiting for me for half an hour by then. I got hauled into the bosses office and asked why I hadn't stayed to the end of the meeting as that was expected from somebody at my level. I explained that the meeting had been due to end at 4pm, the other person had left at 4pm, my husband had been waiting for me and I had not been able to contact him to say I would be late. It all worked out ok, but such a change from the culture now! Now, provided we work within core hours we can more or less work when it suits us. We are expected to be flexible to attend early or late meetings if they are pre-arranged, but if something is arranged at the last minute and we already have plans we are not expected to have to cancel them. We may need to evidence our working hours, but basically if we get the required work done it is all good. So I have no hesitation about taking a break when I want one, if there is time for me to do so. (Having said that... my husband provides me with regular cups of coffee so I don't even need to go downstairs for those).

I try to get up early to start work early and finish early so I don't have any breaks until I'm done. On a good day I'm done by lunch time, but if I'm not feeling v motivated I'll "work" a full day but while putting the washing on/pegging it out/take dog out/pick up kids etc in between. It's only if offline for a loooong time the boss would notice and say anything.

can't you bill 5 minutes to yourself?

AT home I have cats & neighbours & family as distractions ... so hard to sit still for long periods anyway.

When I was billing time I was in a profession that routinely worked far more than our hours…enough said.

Now I’m in house and on WFH days it depends how busy I am. When WFH I finish later as I do t have a commute so it balances out…