Reboot Your Brain

by Georgina Reed
Apr 9, 2019
2 min read

Absenteeism costs a bundle.

An American Gallup report on the state of the American workplace quantified that losses are around $USD450 million per year in the US, and a still staggering $AUD50 million in Australia. These losses include both disengaged staff staying home and under-performing workers (i.e. using social media while at work) because they are unhappy.

Chronically unhappy employees will leave, which is highly damaging to the corporate budget as recruitment and retraining are estimated to cost between 100% and 300% of the base salary of a lost worker.

According to research, the brain has the capacity for only 2 – 3 hours of optimum performance in a block. Performance builds, peaks, plateaus and decreases within that time frame so in order to reset the brain and maintain productivity you have to switch off.

The best way to switch off is to take regular short breaks and engage in other activities such as doing stretches, visit with a colleague, use the stairs, drink some water, use the in-house games room or quiet area to meditate. Each of these activities can re-set your brain.

If there’s no games zone, breakout or other designated area at your work, you’ll need to schedule your own activities to reboot your brain. Using a reminder phone or computer APP can be helpful.

It’s recommended you invest in an ergonomic chair, take a lunch break every day and move more throughout the day to prevent or overcome health issues arising from being sedentary at work.

Before purchasing a new chair, always test the quality, because poorly designed and manufactured chairs won’t offer very good support or longevity.