Small Breaks, Big Impact: Microbreaks and Employee Well-Being

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Mental Health Awareness Month, observed each May, highlights the growing need for evidence-based strategies that support mental health at work. For organizations focused on employee well-being and sustained performance, one simple yet highly effective approach is gaining traction: microbreaks at work.

Microbreaks are short, intentional pauses ranging from a few seconds to several minutes taken throughout the workday. While brief, these moments of recovery play a meaningful role in reducing workplace stress, preventing burnout, and maintaining performance in high-demand environments.

Why Microbreaks Matter for Mental Health

Extended periods of uninterrupted work accelerate cognitive fatigue and emotional exhaustion, two key drivers of burnout. Microbreaks interrupt this cycle before it compounds.

A 2025 daily diary study tracking employees across a full workweek found that individuals who took microbreaks reported lower fatigue and higher levels of vigor by the end of the day, regardless of workload.

Read the full study on microbreaks, fatigue, and vigor
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These findings reinforce a critical point: sustained performance is not about constant output, but about strategic recovery.

Rather than detracting from productivity, microbreaks help employees maintain energy, focus, and psychological resilience throughout the day.

What the Current Science Shows

Recent research offers more precise insight into how microbreaks work:

The takeaway is clear. Not all breaks are equal. Intentional, restorative activities produce the greatest mental health benefits.

Benefits Beyond Mental Health

Microbreaks do not only support psychological well-being. They also reduce physical strain.

Ergonomic research published in 2024 demonstrated that one-minute microbreaks significantly reduced muscle fatigue and physical strain during repetitive work without reducing productivity.

Learn more about the University of Alberta research on microbreaks and workplace fatigue
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Together, these findings position microbreaks as a practical, dual-impact intervention supporting both employee mental and physical health.

Putting Microbreaks into Practice in the Workplace

For microbreaks to be effective, they must be easy to adopt, culturally supported, and embedded into daily workflow rather than treated as an extra task.

Organizations can normalize microbreaks by integrating them into how work is structured and led:

  • Build brief pause points into the day: Encourage 2 to 5-minute buffers between meetings and focused work blocks, especially during cognitively demanding periods.
  • Reinforce manager modeling and permission: Encourage leaders to take visible microbreaks, suggest pauses during long meetings, and reinforce outcomes-based performance rather than constant availability.
  • Use technology intentionally: Optional reminders in calendars or collaboration tools can prompt employees to pause, stretch, hydrate, or reset every 45 to 60 minutes.
  • Encourage high-quality breaks: Support activities like short walks, posture changes, breathing resets, or brief exposure to natural light. These activities are shown to support stronger recovery than passive screen time alone.
  • Design environments that support pausing: Create inviting physical spaces such as quiet corners or stretch areas, or use simple visual cues in digital workspaces that reinforce breaks as part of healthy work norms.
  • Embed microbreaks into existing well-being efforts: Include microbreak strategies in onboarding, manager toolkits, ergonomics guidance, and burnout prevention strategies, positioning them as a core sustainability practice rather than a wellness add-on.

The Organizational Takeaway

Microbreaks are a low-cost, evidence-based strategy that supports employee well-being while preserving performance. When normalized across the workday, these small pauses help reduce fatigue, protect focus, and support sustainable productivity in an always-on work culture.

How Urban Balance Supports Microbreak-Friendly Workplaces

At Urban Balance, we help organizations turn evidence-based well-being strategies like microbreaks into practical, everyday workplace habits.

Our workplace wellness programs are designed to integrate into the flow of the workday, making it easier for employees to pause, reset, and recharge. From guided stretch and movement sessions to mindfulness breaks and ergonomics education, our offerings support high-quality microbreaks that improve employee well-being, reduce workplace stress, and support sustained performance.

We provide:

  • Live and on-demand microbreak sessions, including stretch, mobility, meditation, and breathwork
  • Workday-friendly wellness classes designed for short, effective breaks
  • Manager toolkits and education to support healthy workplace habits
  • On-site corporate wellness services and virtual wellness programs for distributed teams

Urban Balance delivers on-site workplace wellness services in the Portland, Oregon metro area and provides virtual wellness programs to organizations worldwide.

Whether employees are taking a two-minute reset or participating in a guided session, we help make microbreaks a consistent and effective part of the workday.

Explore Urban Balance workplace wellness programs and discover how microbreaks can support employee well-being, reduce burnout, and improve performance.

6 Ways to Improve Sleep Hygiene for Quality Rest

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Sleep plays a significant role in both physical and mental health, but research makes it clear that Americans struggle to get quality sleep. In fact, according to the CDC, one third of US adults report that they usually get less than the recommended amount of sleep.

Also according to the CDC, getting poor quality sleep on a regular basis or less than the recommended amount of sleep is linked with a wide range of common health conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and depression.

It is widely documented that stress, the chronic type that is highly prevalent in the workplace, is one of the leading sleep disruptors.

Feeling sleepy in the office while sitting in front of the computer is one thing, but in industries and workplace settings including warehouses, construction sites, airports, and manufacturing, physical safety is of the utmost importance. In these settings, the National Safety Council (NSC) points out that workplace fatigue can contribute to bottom-line issues like worker absenteeism, poor performance at work, occupational injuries, and accidents, and even offers a calculator for organizations to estimate the cost of sleep deficiency on their operations.

So, what measures can companies take to help stressed employees improve their sleep habits (often referred to as sleep hygiene)? Or perhaps as you are reading this, you have realized that you are ready to make some changes to your own sleep habits?

Here are a few tips to share or apply yourself:

1. Reduce stress – According to medical professionals, high levels of stress hormones in the body can impact how long it takes to fall asleep or may prevent sleeping through the night. Sleep loss itself can also trigger the stress response, only prolonging the cycle. So, it stands to reason we can benefit from bringing our stress level down.

One place to start is being sure to engage in physical activity each day, even if it’s just a short walk, yoga practice, or higher intensity exercise in the form of HIIT routines you can do at home. Exercise increases endorphins (feel-good hormones) while reducing stress hormones, which together help support relaxation.

There are countless stress reduction tools out there. It is likely your employer even offers some through a corporate wellness program provider. If you haven’t recently, be sure to review your company’s employee wellness benefits package to see what may already be available.

If you need some inspiration, Urban Balance’s on-demand class library is a great holistic wellness resource both for companies and individuals seeking guidance with their routine.

2. Develop a consistent sleep schedule – As the proverb “early to bed, early to rise” has long encouraged us, it is beneficial to go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning. Any early riser would agree that having a fixed wakeup time builds the body’s desire for sleep at the end of the day, making it easier to rest and begin the next day’s cycle.

3. Make sure your bedroom is dark and cool – Invest in a set of blackout curtains or try sleeping with an eye mask to support your body’s internal clock. The absence of light signals the brain that it’s time to sleep. Adjust the room temperature – conventional wisdom suggests between 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal.

4. Leave ample time to unwind at the end of the day – Turn off screens by at least 30 minutes before bed, do a mediation or some restorative yoga before bed, or settle in with a good book to help your brain unwind.

5. Aim for balanced nutrition – Eat a balanced diet packed with lots of fruits and vegetables, which provides the recommended daily intake of vitamins and nutrients. Eat dinner a few hours before going to bed, as digestion can interfere with sleep. Be sure to watch your caffeine intake throughout the day, as well as alcohol intake – both are stimulants and can interfere with your ability to fall asleep or stay asleep.

6. Make holistic wellness practices a part of your life – There are many holistic wellness practices that promote quality sleep, including chair massage, yoga (especially yin and restorative styles, as well as yoga nidra), meditation, Tai Chi and other styles of movement. These practices promote overall stress reduction, which sets the stage for better quality sleep.

 

If getting a good night’s sleep is a struggle and you’re curious about whether holistic wellness practices like yoga, meditation, and other healing modalities might help you or your employees, don’t hesitate to use us as a resource!

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Urban Balance is the premier provider of comprehensive on-site corporate wellness services including massage in the Portland, Oregon metro area and offers virtual workplace wellness programming worldwide. We deliver livestream and on-demand classes, webinars, and special events to the workplace environment for happier employees and a healthier bottom line.

Browse our catalog of virtual wellness services with offerings including yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Zumba, HIIT, Barre Sculpt, meditation, nutrition, learning opportunities, and more.

Discover the benefits of the Urban Balance on-demand video library, a workplace wellbeing solution with over 350+ holistic wellness classes. Includes membership options for companies and individuals.

The Benefits of Live, Ongoing Employee Wellness Classes

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Companies looking for ways to help employees maintain physical health, address mental wellbeing, and build stronger connections with their co-workers have many options to choose from, including wellness apps that provide everything from on-demand content like guided meditations and yoga classes, to biometric tracking.

While these solutions have their benefits, companies that are looking to shift company culture, by taking a holistic approach to employee wellness should consider the benefits of live, ongoing virtual classes aimed at developing the mind-body connection, as well as a sense of connection with co-workers.

This includes offerings such as yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi & Qigong, dance fitness & conditioning (Zumba, Ellové), HIIT (or strength and conditioning formats), and meditation & mindfulness sessions.

With virtual wellness here to stay, here are 5 benefits to adding live, weekly classes into your workplace wellness program.


Employees can join from anywhere

One of the beautiful parts of online classes is that some of the participation issues that arise in on-site wellness classes, such as vacations, business trips, and employees working different shifts, are no longer as much of a barrier to participation. Whether your team is hybrid or fully remote, employees leave for business trips or vacation, or even if they relocate, they can still join their Pilates class or build that regularly scheduled group meditation session into their day. We’ve heard first-hand from employees in our live classes that they enjoy the convenience and flexibility that accompanies such offerings.

Easy implementation

From a business perspective, live, ongoing wellness classes are relatively easy to implement. Once you determine which class to offer and set the schedule, encourage employees to schedule their classes into their calendar. Working with a company that handles the administrative side, including marketing and employee communications, means wellness coordinators can “set it and forget it”.

They provide a built-in space for connection

Live virtual yoga and movement classes offer an element of connection and community that is especially essential with so many employees now working in hybrid or fully remote environments. In addition to interactive and engaging class content, many mind-body wellness instructors, especially those trained to teach yoga & meditation, are skilled at encouraging connection not only through their teaching but in the spaces before and after class.

Having a weekly time and date to attend class vs. participating via recording encourages employees to be consistent and accountable. Knowing there is a live group they’ve committed to provides many people with motivation to stay engaged.

They offer little something for everyone

Many of today’s group fitness and wellness classes include mixed-level instruction, making them appropriate beginners and the more seasoned practitioners alike. In a live setting, teachers build relationships with the employees who come to class regularly and can offer specific instruction based on what they see. In this way, live classes make it easier for teachers to meet employees where they are and to deliver an experience that differs from the on-demand classes.

A connected, engaging solution to employee burnout

Virtual fitness and movement classes help employees to address common physical issues, such as poor posture, stiffness, neck and back pain, as well as the mental stress that comes with working long hours in a hybrid or fully remote work environment. Mindfulness and meditation sessions can also help employees to create space in the course of a stressful day where there otherwise may have been none.

 

 

In Conclusion:
There are benefits to engaging with wellness offerings no matter the frequency, however, based on positive outcomes with our clients, we are strong advocates for weekly, ongoing corporate wellness programming whenever possible.

Live wellness offerings help to bridge the gaps inherent to a distributed workforce. This type of programming encourages consistency, connection, and community, all of which helps employees stay accountable and reach their wellness goals.

Visit our website to learn more about the full array of yoga and movement classes Urban Balance delivers.

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Urban Balance is the premier provider of comprehensive on-site corporate wellness services including massage in the Portland, Oregon metro area, and offers virtual workplace wellness programming worldwide. We deliver livestream and on-demand classes, webinars, and special events to the workplace environment for happier employees and a healthier bottom line.


Browse our catalog of virtual wellness services with offerings including yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Zumba, HIIT, Barre Sculpt, meditation, nutrition, learning opportunities, and more.

 

 

On Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace

On Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace: How Companies Can Demonstrate Care

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It is no secret that the pandemic has taken a toll on people’s mental health to some degree throughout the past year.

According to a survey by the CDC, 40.9% of respondents reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition, including symptoms of anxiety and depression, and a marked increase in substance abuse.

As a corporate wellness company focused on holistic programming, we recognize that mental health and wellbeing are inextricably linked from the overall picture of employee wellness. So, what is the relationship between the two, and what can support look like in the workplace? Read on. Read more