If you feel tired while working in the office, chat with a colleague or have a snack as it might help you bounce back from morning fatigue and boost your productivity, say researchers.

The findings, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, indicated that taking "microbreaks" helped the study participants maintain their energy level. This, in turn, helped them meet work demands and engage with work better.

"Our study shows that it is in a company's best interest to give employees autonomy in terms of taking microbreaks when they are needed - it helps employees effectively manage their energy and engage in their work throughout the day," Cho added.

The new paper is based on two studies that explored issues related to microbreaks in the workday.

For the first study, the research team surveyed nearly 100 workers in the US. The participants were asked to fill out two surveys per day for 10 consecutive workdays. The surveys were completed in the morning and at the end of workday.

The second study included 222 workers in South Korea. This study had participants complete three surveys per day for five workdays. Study participants completed the surveys in the morning, after lunch and at the end of the workday.

In the studies, the researchers analyzed the survey data with statistical tools to examine day-to-day fluctuations in sleep quality, fatigue, work behaviour and engagement in varying types of microbreaks.

(This story was published from a syndicated feed. Only the headline and picture has been edited by FIT).