Written by In the hyper-connected world we live in today, the lines between working and personal life have become blurred nearly irreversibly. The digital office, enabled through instant communication options and digital tools, has created a workspace for employees where they feel the never-ending urge to be “always-on”. While this virtual connection provides convenience and flexibility, it can result in digital fatigue that could be detrimental to personal well-being and organizational productivity.
Digital Connectedness Is Increasing & The Double-Edged Sword
The amount of information coming from smartphones, tablets, laptops, online apps, and collaboration apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom implies employees can communicate and collaborate from almost anywhere, at almost any time.. Conversations that once happened at the office (9-5) happen now in the evenings, weekends, and vacations.
Whereas this virtual connectivity can help employees embrace flexibility in ways, like working from home, quick decision making, and solving problems as they surface, it also creates a culture where the expectation of instantaneous responsiveness has become the norm, thereby turning one always-on availability into one long workday.
The Problem: Always-On Culture and Its Effects
Redefining Work and Personal Life Boundaries
One of the biggest problems with being “always available” is the blurring of boundaries between work and personal life. The employees struggle to switch off since emails, messages, and calls just keep coming in despite working hours. This invasion of privacy interferes with the ability to rest, quality time with friends and family, and do recreational activities that contribute to mental and emotional well-being.
The Emergence of Digital Burnout
Digital burnout is a particular type of burnout brought about by extensive use of digital devices and constant online interaction. Digital Burnout refers to physical, mental, and emotional fatigue that is caused by too much digital engagement. Digital burnout, which is distinct from traditional burnout, which relates primarily to work and interpersonal stress, is connected to a compulsion to connect and a greater fear of being left out because they missed some communications.
Both are forms of stress dysfunction and cause the body to undergo similar damage and repair cycles.
Symptoms of burnout include:
- Diminished and chronic fatigue
- Decreased attention span and thinking ability
- Detached or cynical feelings about work
- Increased stress and irritability
- More physical symptoms such as headaches, eye strain, and insomnia
Heightened Stress and Anxiety Levels
The need to be reactive at all times creates an increased level of stress. Staff tend to keep checking messages and emails continuously, even outside work hours or during breaks. This habit results in constant pressure and inability to wind down.
Moreover, the worry of being viewed as uncommitted or lazy if they do not reply very quickly adds to this anxiety. Just the notion of possibly losing important information or falling behind their colleagues creates an extreme cycle of hypervigilance.
Impact on Productivity and Quality of Work
While being consistently connected may seem to improve productivity, it does the opposite. The compulsion to multitask with our professional messages, emails, and meetings creates repeated distractions and divided attention. The divide reduces the ability to fully engage in complex tasks, thus creating poorer quality work and more mistakes.
Additionally, employees encountering digital burnout often have lower motivation and creativity, which affects their innovativeness and problem-solving abilities.
The role of organizational culture and leadership.
The digital burnout problem often has its origins in an organizational culture and leadership style that is usually inherent in organizational practices. Organizations that implicitly and explicitly reinforce rapid and immediate responsiveness enact undue pressure on employees and cultivate the mindset that employees are expected to be available 24/7.
Managers who are themselves always “on” and then expect the same from their employees contribute to the organizational culture. Employees have no clear policy with respect to after-hours communication and have the pressure of not knowing when it is acceptable to disconnect and be offline.
Social Isolation and Decreased Human Connection
In spite of the abundance of digital communication, being always connected can paradoxically boost the sense of loneliness. The nature of human connections is often compromised as digital communications become a substitute for direct communication. Workers can become emotionally isolated and devalued, and the sense of loneliness and unhappiness will be amplified.
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