10.5465/AMBPP.2014.9 TAKING A BREAK VIA TECHNOLOGY? TRIGGERS, NATURE, AND EFFECTS OF “ONLINE” WORK BREAKS SUNG DOO KIM Lindner College of Business University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH 45221-0165 DANIELE BOLOGNA University of Cincinnati STACIE FURST-HOLLOWAY University of Cincinnati ELAINE HOLLENSBE University of Cincinnati SUZANNE MASTERSON University of Cincinnati THERESE SPRINKLE University of Dallas ABSTRACT Through our qualitative research, we explore how employees use technology to take breaks in the workplace. We first examine factors affecting the choice between online and offline breaks. We then explore triggers and consequences of online breaks. Our grounded theory approach produced a rich description of online work breaks. INTRODUCTION To date, most research investigating the impact of breaks focuses on breaks taken during non-work time, such as vacation, weekends, and evenings (e.g., Fritz & Sonnentag, 2005; Sonnentag, Binnewies, & Mojza, 2008; Sonnentag & Kruel, 2006). In only a few instances have researchers examined the impact of work breaks taken during the work day (e.g., Fritz, Lam, & Spreitzer, 2011; Trougakos, Beal, Green, & Weiss, 2008). Despite these endeavors to better understand breaks, research is lacking on one crucial contemporary context: cases in which employees take a break using technologies such as a work computer, laptop, cell phone, or tablet. Given that going online represents one of the strategies employees are likely to use during a work break (e.g., Ivarsson, 2011; Lim & Teo, 2005), this phenomenon warrants empirical attention. Therefore, we address this gap by investigating how employees take breaks via technology. We first investigate factors affecting the choice of online or offline work breaks. Then, we focus exclusively on online work breaks to explore the activities individuals engage in during online breaks, as well as what triggers these activities and what consequences result from them. After a review of pertinent literatures, we present findings from an in-depth qualitative study of a diverse set of 33 working professionals. Using these data, we develop a process model