I’ve been writing about long working hours and ‘always-on’ cultures for at least a decade! The government may not be supporting legislation giving employees the ‘right to switch off’, but that doesn’t mean organisations should ignore the growing problem that is affecting the health and productivity of its people, and do something about it.
The increased use of communication technologies is blurring the lines between work and non-work hours and making it harder to switch off from work. Research shows a clear link between technology, longer work hours and health problems. People’s access to too much information, clinically known as cognitive overload, can impair their ability to think clearly, learn new things and make decisions.
The TUC (Trade Union Congress) and CIPD (the professional body for HR and people development) have long reported on the links between technology, long hours and health. An IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) survey from 2024 showed that half of UK’s workers put in two or more additional hours without pay every week and 41% regularly worked one or more unpaid hours a day!
Britain is known for its long hours work culture, but despite some improvements, productivity levels remain 20% lower than France and Germany according to the ONS (Office of National Statistics). If a long hours work culture is not good for employees and low productivity is not good for businesses, surely employers should be compelled to help their people to use smart technology in smarter ways?
There are lots of practical steps that businesses can take to tackle technology-overload and introduce a sensible set of technology ground rules. How would your organisation answer the following questions:
- What is a reasonable time period in which to respond to work emails and work texts?
- How often are employees encouraged to take technology breaks?
- When, if ever, is it acceptable to ask employees to return emails and calls whilst not at work or on scheduled holidays? (known as leavism)
- How are employees supported when they work remotely or from home?
- What assistance is given to promoting regular exercise and good nutrition at work?
- What support is offered to reduce work rumination? (the process of thinking about work while not at work)
- What are senior managers doing to lead by example?
Unfortunately, our reliance and over-use of technology is not just confined to work. FOMO (fear of missing out) and FOBO (fear of being off-line) are part of wider social, peer and personal pressures, making ‘switching off’ from devices hard to do.
Although employers can’t dictate what employees do outside work, they can help empower employees to take responsibility for the way they use technology. Organisations can create more supportive work cultures that prioritise the health and wellbeing of all their people – they don’t need to wait for ‘right to switch off’ legislation to give them permission to do what is sensible and right!