Out of hour emails tying Yorkshire staff down, study
Nearly half of workers (44%) access work emails outside office hours – and almost a third (32%) say that doing so increases their stress, a healthcare specialist has revealed.
Tying us down?
According to a study conducted by employee healthcare specialist PMI Health Group, professional pride is the biggest reason for sending emails outside of work (54%), closely followed by workload pressures (44%).
Of those Yorkshire workers checking emails out of hours, 90% say they do so in the evening and almost 31% do so while they’re on holiday.
Work-life boundaries becoming blurred
PMI Health Group Director, Mike Blake, said: “Mobile technology, such as smartphones and tablets, is extending the workplace into employees’ homes and while this offers benefits for flexible working, it can also lead to work-life boundaries becoming blurred.
“This is clearly posing a risk to employee mental health and employers must be mindful of the potential consequences of this, from reduced productivity to stress-related sickness absence.”
Nationally, the study also revealed that younger workers are more inclined to access work emails out of hours than their older colleagues – 48% of those aged 25 to 34 do so, compared to 31% of those aged 45 to 54.
Do you check your emails out of work hours? Let us know in the comments.
