Functional work breaks in a high-demanding work environment: an experimental field study

Work breaks are known to have positive effects on employees’ health, performance and safety. Using a sample of twelve employees working in a stressful and cognitively demanding working environment, this experimental field study examined how different types of work breaks (boxing, deep relaxation and usual breaks) affect participants’ mood, cognitive performance and neurophysiological state compared to a control condition without any break. In a repeated measures experimental design, cognitive performance was assessed using an auditory oddball test and a Movement Detection Test. Brain cortical activity was recorded using electroencephalography. Individual’s mood was analysed using a profile of mood state. Although neurophysiological data showed improved relaxation of cortical state after boxing (vs. ‘no break’ and ‘deep relaxation’), neither performance nor mood assessment showed similar results. It remains questionable whether there is a universal work break type that has beneficial effects for all individuals.

Practitioner Summary: Research on work breaks and their positive effects on employees’ health and performance often disregards break activities. This experimental field study in a stressful working environment investigated the effect of different work break activities. A universal work break type that is beneficial for this workplace could not be identified.     

Modeling and testing of immunity of computerized equipment to fastelectrical transients

One of the major problems associated with testing computerized equipment for immunity stems from the fact that their susceptibility to electrical transients is time-variant. This paper develops an improved statistical model for the susceptibility of computerized equipment to electrical transients and illustrates a few affordable methods for estimating the mean and maximum malfunction probability in an operational cycle. Reinforcement learning algorithms are used to estimate the maximum susceptibility efficiently. These algorithms automatically restrict testing to the most susceptible time windows. This allows affordable testing for safety-related equipment and also supports effective redesign