Researchers warn that accessing work emails after office hours via smartphone or tablet may significantly increase stress levels.
Based on a latest poll, almost 50 percent of those who often access their email outside office hours said they experienced stress "a lot of the day yesterday" while only 36 percent of those who do not check work-related emails said they experience stress. This study may have major implications for people who work outside the office but those who work remotely have rated better quality lives.
The Gallup researchers interviewed more than 4,000 working people aged 18 and above in the U.S. and the District of Columbia. Almost 62 percent of the participants said their employers expect them to access their emails even after working hours. 23 percent said their employers do not expect them to email for work outside office hours.
Five percent said they never access their work emails after office hours even if their employers expected them to do so while 30 percent never check email as their employers does not expect them to do so. People who work remotely showed a similar pattern.
"Such behaviours can both positively and negatively influence employees' well-being in the long run," the researchers wrote.
By working remotely or emailing after office hours, workers may believe that these behaviors could lead to greater professional accomplishment and success. The increased stress levels linked to these behaviors could also be considered as "productive stress." Some workers may desire this kind of stress, associating it with being more productive and greater urgency. While the type of jobs may be a factor, it could also be that more rewarding jobs may demand more use of mobile technology.
Life satisfaction, daily stress and use of mobile technology for work can provide evidence that these behaviors can affect a person's well-being. Key demographics have already been controlled but it still shows that though workers who use mobile technology outside office hours more frequently are more prone to stress any time, they are also more likely to rate their quality of life better.
