Technology makes our lives more convenient in many ways but in other ways it just makes us slaves to our jobs since we’re never off the clock and are expected to respond to work emails at all hours of the day. Psych Central brings us word of a new study from the College of Business at the University of Texas at Arlington that shows checking work email at night can have a significant impact on our overall mental health and should be avoided if possible.
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Essentially, the study found that most people get angry or annoyed when receiving work email after hours and that some of them have let these emails negatively affect their personal lives. The researchers say this shows companies need to be more careful in when and how they reach out to employees after hours.
“People who were part of the study reported they became angry when they received a work email or text after they had gone home and that communication was negatively worded or required a lot of the person’s time,” explained associate professor Marcus Butts to Psych Central. “This is the new world of work communication, and these recommendations might work in one department of a company but not in another area of the business. The key is to develop your own appropriate communications rhythm within your department.”
It sounds like employers need to limit the number of times they email employees after hours to times only when it’s completely necessary and that they should make sure to write in a positive way to avoid angering their employees.
Read more on the study over at Psych Central by clicking here.
