How often/many breaks do you take if you have a desk based job?

[Cluelessness]

Started new role which is sat in front of a computer all day. Entitled to a 30 min break which people seem to take around lunch time. Would I be unreasonable to take a 10 min break every hour or so? I’m finding it so boring and not at all healthy.
What is considered as ok?

It does depend what your desk job entails.
I converse with a variety of stakeholders and I find that leaving my desk to potter for 10 mins every hour or so help me to think about and formulate my ideas and responses. Then I can just return and speedily write them.

I'd rather be up moving around while I think rather than staring into space. My brain just works more effectively if I'm doing something while I think. Better for the eyes and body too! Just because i'm moving away from my desk doesn't mean my brain isn't fully on the job.
I don't see how sitting and staring at a screen means your working harder than anyone else.

Take a break when you feel like it. As long as you get your job done, I don't think you need a strict routine of ten mins break every hour, see how you feel and look after your health. Help yourself; you don't want to be dead wishing you hadn't taken a break because someone might have thought you were slacking off.

I go into my office at 8:30 and rarely come out until 5 other than one trip to the loo. It’s definitely not healthy. I bring lunch and have a little fridge and a Keurig machine in my office.

Today, for example, I was on back to back Teams meetings from 9 till 1, then an in-person (in my office) 2-2:30, then catching up on emails and doing written work til 5. Literally no time.

Call centre so on the phone all shift
I get 2 x 15 min breaks and 1 x 30 min in 9hrs
No other breaks allowed except for popping to the toilet/making a very quick drink

To add how it probably works on a usual day is (9.5hrs inc breaks) so the longest I really sit for is 2-2.5hrs

Start at 8
Break at 10am
Lunch at 12.30
Nip for a brew around 2.30 as this is the longest stretch
Break at 3.30
Finish at 5.30

It really depends. I have my one main break at lunch then however many I feel like in between then. For example if I have a half hour gap in between a string of meetings I’ll have a break to put my head on straight.

HSE recommend 5-10 minutes every hour.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/dse/work-routine.htm

When I’m wfh (4 days a week) I take a full lunch hour and go for a walk. Other than that I’m at my desk, will nip downstairs for a top up of water of across the hall to the loo
as and when. I have also just ordered a standing desk as I have disc issues in my back and have noticed when I’m in the office I use the standing function of my desk and my pain is reduced quite substantially.

Regularly screen breaks recommended

I don't take an official break apart from at lunch but about I usually walk to the bathroom and to make tea once in the morning and once or twice in the afternoon (I like to take an early lunch break)

The job is literally sat moving files from one folder to another across three screens, to create new folders. The team is spread out across the county geographically so there’s only one other person in our small office, doing the same thing. She works all day at her desk and only takes the 30 min break. I do not want to be like that tho-I’d go mad!
The whole building is quite large, but there’s security doors separating each department/outside so it’s weird to go for much of a walk. Annoyingly I don’t drink hot drinks or smoke, and the loo and kitchen are beside our office so not much opportunity there.
Im going to try 5 mins every hour or so just to get up and stretch, look out the barred windows, and see how that goes this week (and maybe take up smoking/coffee addiction) 😂

I get it OP, desk work wasn't for me either. I used to lift a file and leave the office and carry it round the corridors on each of the 5 floors a couple of times a day just to escape but still look busy 😆

I would definitely agree with a screen break and leg stretch every hour or two, just maybe not 10 minutes every hour as that adds up to over an hour a day!

I work from home most of the time and can do pretty much what I want as long as I do my job, colleagues are the same. So usual day I’ll take breaks to make coffee, put the washing on, clean the kitchen, around every hour unless I’m very busy/in calls. I’m very productive and regular breaks is the best way for me to keep my focus - it’s not about hours put in but productivity which is completely different (imo).

less regularly I’ll pick up the kids, go for medical appointments, pop out as needed (can be several times per month) - no one bats an eyelid as my job is done to a high standard, whether I put in extra hours or not.

when in the office I make a point of spending time chatting to people as much as poss - as it’s the sort of role where network is important.

I took up smoking... Or rather smoke breaks :)

Every hour I would clearly announce I was going on my smoke break then do a slow walk round the building in the sunshine was delightful :)

Take up smoking. That way you'll get lots of extra breaks. 😁

I usually take about 3-4 breaks a day in addition to lunch at work. Seems normal for colleagues as well

My colleague and I used to keep an eye on the smokers, when they stood up so did we, we did a quick two minute walk to the end of the drive and were back before the smokers and no one could say a word. 😁

Not unreasonable to take regular movement breaks, and breaks from the screen. Also if your work requires a lot of focus then its important to take regular breaks too otherwise you lose focus.
Not the same as working but I'm studying, and on theory days we take a 15 minute break every 45 minutes (our teachers get the break too, so they get a nice working regular working break) because its acknowledged that concentration and performance dip when you are sat still at a screen for too long. On practical days we barely take a break at all because you don't need it as much as when you're sat a desk all day.

I work 9 hour days and entitled to an hour long lunch.

However, I generally take 30 mins for lunch then 3x10 min breaks throughout the day as I vape and dont want to take the piss.

If you only have a 30 minute lunch, I would say there is nothing wrong at all with having a morning and afternoon break between 5-10 mins each for a breather.

I try and at least stand up every hour, else standing up becomes painful.
When in the office breaks are a little longer as going to the loo and making a drink are further from my desk. And we're encouraged to leave our desks properly at lunch, not eat sandwiches as we work.

At home I'll take less time at lunch but will put a wash on or whatever to get a screen break.

A 10 minute break EVERY hour?

So if you work 6 hours you think you're entitled to an extra hours paid break 🤔😂🤣

If you don't like the job then leave and find something else.

YABU.

2 15 mins breaks and 1 30 mins - work 8 hours

I often use POMOs for productivity which is 25 mins work, 5 mins break. So that adds up to 10 mins an hour but I am so incredibly more productive doing this it cancels out the time.

The 'break' is usually loo/tea/read an intranet article so all normal stuff that other people are doing without considering it a break.

I only do this WFH though as it would be disturbing to others.

My job is interesting but I need POMOs to do the boring bits.

I think it depends where you work. My job is super chill- as long as I get my work done and attend office at least 2 times a week, no one cares whether I pull out my phone, wander around, etc. But if yours is the kinda place that pushes a 30min break/monitors people's movements etc, then I'd try reaching out to HR and asking how the company encourages and protects employee's health as desk workers, eg ergonomic chairs, mouse mats, keyboards, encouraged regular breaks, etc. If they don't have any of the above, and are jobsworthy about you getting up for a pee, get a new job. They aren't all like that.

I really struggle with it and probably take 10 mins an hour here and there (popping to toilet, making a drink etc).

At home I often do pomadero technique. Set 25 min alarm- concentrate on a task then have a 5 minute break quick tea, wipe down kitchen, put washing on etc) then repeat.

in office we often don’t sit as a team (desk booking system) so I put podcasts etc on - like bbc sounds - then once one of those is finished I get up and walk around etc.

yup sitting at a desk for hours is crap