Work productivity down the toilet? Six ways to take a break at work.

We recently had an interesting question posted on Human Resources IQ about what to do about an employee who spends two hours a day in the bathroom.

There were some extremely helpful answers posted, such as asking what the employee was doing in there.

I personally would not want to know what an employee was doing in the bathroom for two hours (or for two minutes, for that matter).

But I did feel empathetic. Not for the poor manager wondering what was going on with his or her employee. But for the employee. Haven’t we all been the proverbial “employee spending two hours in the bathroom”? When our minds are just so frazzled that we’ll do anything, anything to avoid sitting at our desks?

The word of the day is productivity! Ahhhh!

CNN.com recently posted an article about how employees can fight the workplace blahs. And our own Christopher Ortega wrote an article for managers on how to make a better work environment for employees.

They offer very good suggestions, such as getting out of the office for a little bit, taking a walk, reading a funny cartoon, etc. All valid ways to help give your brain a breather so you can once again concentrate on your work and be productive.

I came up with my own list of things to do to fight workplace boredom. All in the name of increasing productivity, of course.

Top Six Ways to Take a Break at Work (So You Can Be Productive Later)

1. Write a list of things that you could do instead of doing work.
2. Stick clear tape over the microphone of your coworker’s phone. The phone will still ring, but when your coworker tries to make a call, the caller won’t hear him. Your coworker will keep screaming louder and louder to get the caller to hear.
3. Put an obnoxious ring on your cell phone (I suggest “It’s a Small World”) and hide it in your coworker’s coat. Call your cell from your work phone. Repeat every five minutes.
4. Do some yoga breathing at your desk. Or some primal scream exercises.
5. Install a Slip and Slide in the aisle. Use it frequently, and yell out “Whee!” whenever you do.
6. Secretly pick a word of the day (one that is said frequently in your office, such as “e-mail,” “meeting,” or “hungover”). Any time the word is spoken, start screaming and jumping up and down, a la Pee Wee Herman.

I guarantee the rest of your workday will be a frenzy of productivity.

You’re welcome.

Jessica Livingston
Managing Editor
jessica.livingston@e-bim.com