Recovery from Strain under Different Work/Rest Schedules

Abstract

Measures of psychophysiological recovery were used to evaluate two rest break schedules; 7.5 minutes of rest after every 50 minutes of work versus 15 minutes of rest after every 100 minutes of work. Eleven examiners using a prototype computer system in the European Patent Office worked under both work/rest schedules. Electrodermal activity, heart rate, respiratory frequency, pulse wave transit time, neck electromyogram, and gross body movements were continuously recorded. Measures of emotional well-being and body comfort were obtained eight times per work day. Heart rate variability was significantly higher under the short break schedule, indicating decreased mental strain. Break duration and time of measurement interacted significantly for electrodermal responses, indicating that emotional strain was reduced under the short break schedule until mid-day, and under the long break schedule in the afternoon. The results indicate that a switch to longer breaks in the afternoon may be favorable during highly demanding computer work. Furthermore, it could be demonstrated that psychophysiological measures are useful for the evaluation of work/rest schedules, even if performance data are not available.