A new study has found that proposals to ban answering emails out of work hours may be misguided, as it could actually harm employee wellbeing. It comes after some companies restricted email use to working hours.
The research, compiled by the University of Sussex, found that some employees are more likely to feel stressed if they cannot answer a ‘growing accumulation of emails’ because ultimately they will feel overloaded when they’re back in work.
Previously, companies including Volkswagen and Lidl, banned email use outside of specific hours with the intention of decreasing stress in their employees by allowing them to fully switch off. Subsequently, governments around the world began discussing email usage with the idea of creating blanket policies.
In France, a law was passed in 2017 that required companies with more than 50 employees to establish a time frame during which staff should or should not send emails. Plus, in New York City there was a discussion earlier this year around the ‘right to disconnect’ after work given how technology can insidiously conflate our work and personal lives.
Of course, while the ideas may seem extreme they were born out of good intentions. After all, our Where's Your Head At campaign earlier this year found that work was the number one cause of stress and anxiety in the UK. It stands to reason that the pressure of always being ‘on’ and available to answer emails or work concerns would contribute to that stress.
However, this study confirms that having any sort of blanket policy on email usage is not useful. ‘[Blanket bans] would be unlikely to be welcomed by employees who prioritise work performance goals and who would prefer to attend to work outside of hours if it helps them get their tasks completed,’ Dr Emma Russell, a senior lecturer in management at the University of Sussex Business School told the BBC.
‘People need to deal with email in the way that suits their personality and their goal priorities in order to feel like they are adequately managing their workload.’
So essentially, we don’t need a ban on email usage, we just need workplaces that don’t pressure employees into working outside of their hours. We need managers that lead by example, that can put the importance of work tasks into perspective and encourage employees to enjoy a healthy work-life balance.
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