The COVID-19 pandemic can be seen as a rite of passage where individuals are
being called upon to rethink the dictatorship of the way-of-being through work.
With the intensification of thework from homemodality, many
essential aspects of life became secondary. This way, it is important to think
about work breaks, not only from the viewpoint of labor laws, but also for
creating moments of reflection for (re)thinking various aspects of work, whether
remote or in person. The objective of this study was to promote a reflection on
the importance of taking breaks during remote work (working from home) or
in-person work, considering the promotion of occupational health and well-being.
Breaks during the workday are beneficial to physical and mental health, as they
help restore concentration and energy, relieve stress, improve muscle tension,
among other factors. Strategies for promoting work breaks cannot be prescribed
as recipes but should be considered as possibilities to exercise these moments
of disconnection from work on a daily basis. Moreover, the worker can also
contribute to improve the quality of working life by adopting simple attitudes
such as maintaining adequate hydration and using practices such as foot soaks,
meditation, yoga, self-massage, foot reflexology, and mindfulness in the work
environment. Therefore, in order for strategies for the promotion of health and
occupational well-being to be successful, we need a change in the behavior of
managers and workers in order to better reconcile our way-of-being through work
and our way-of-being through care.