Enhancing worker well-being in digital service systems via numerical simulation

In the digital era, office and administrative support occupations are often exposed to intense rhythms, high emotional burdens, and conflictual situations. Some categories, such as counter clerks, receptionists, public call center operators, and administrative staff, are more exposed than others due to their direct (virtual) contact with both end-users and digital platforms. In similar contexts, the possibility of taking regular, short, and significant breaks represents not only a right, but a strategy for preventing psychosocial distress and increasing organizational efficiency. Starting from the assumption that introducing micro-breaks is a way to pursue worker well-being, this paper proposes a simulation-based approach to assess if and how different combinations of work-break patterns affect productivity in the digital administrative processes of a public body. Specifically, we consider structured time blocks of (human) resource uptimes/downtimes when fulfilling on-line service requests addressed to the Educational Service Area of the University of Calabria. Preliminary numerical experiments show that creating a supportive workplace culture while maintaining productivity is an attainable goal.