International research has recently confirmed that after-hours contact from Management heightens employee stress levels. Now this probably isn’t ground-breaking news, but it is interesting to consider on the back of the growth in hybrid working arrangements springing from the Covid pandemic, and the shift away from time in the office where you used to actually speak with your Manager and work colleagues whilst physically at work.

Modern technology and the continual accessibility to emails and other electronic communication channels has enabled us to stay connected; but it has also blurred traditional work arrangements, times and processes.

Flexible work arrangements have fostered flexible starting and finishing times, and this has prompted emails to be sent well into the evenings and on weekends, generally at times that suit the ‘now-flexible’ work from home Manager.

The research looked at whether after-hours intrusions were leading to stress and depressive moods among employees; and yes, on days where there were ‘electronic intrusions’ (i.e. email pings that were looked at on one our various devices), there was a heightened level of job tension reported.

This sits at odds with organisations espousing a growing concern for the employee’s mental health and wellbeing.

And we are not even considering the heightened expectation by workers to respond sooner rather than later, nor the subtly implied expectation in some roles that workers must also prove commitment to the organisation by being seen to be working day and night.

Organisation Psychologists advocate that to overcome this intrusion issue, there is a need to establish boundaries, as well as exploring when it is acceptable for someone to contact another employee after standard work hours (like in an emergency).

At the very least it is important to do these things:

  • For both the ‘sender’ and the ‘receiver’, work out what works best for & set boundaries for themselves at work, and clearly communicate these.
  • From the ‘sender’s’ perspective, do not expect a response and clearly state that a response is not expected out of hours (e.g. “I am working late hours because it suits me, but I do not expect a response out of hours”).
  • From the ‘receivers’ perspective – turn off notifications on all devices for after-hours periods.

A good work-life balance is required even when working from home or in a hybrid model. This translates to having a routine, establishing boundaries, having these boundaries respected, and allowing downtime after work.

Please contact QRMC for more information.