A recent report by Protime revealed that 67% of employees feel unable to disconnect from work fully, emphasising the blurred boundaries between personal and professional life. Even though 93% of employees highlight the importance of a healthy work-life balance for their well-being, many struggle to maintain it.
According to the report, 41% of workers experience negative effects on their well-being due to poor work-life balance on a daily or weekly basis. Moreover, as many as 65% face this problem monthly or more frequently. There is also a rise in stress-related illnesses, with employees taking an average of 5.4 sick days in the past year because of issues such as stress, anxiety, or burnout.
Melissa Carr, Director of EDI at Henley’s World of Work Institute, stressed that the lack of clear boundaries between work and home life could lead to long-term issues such as burnout and emotional exhaustion, especially for remote workers. Carr advised leaders to model healthy behaviors, such as limiting communications to core working hours and encouraging time off.
In addition,the report highlighted the need for actions that help employees mentally switch off, including avoiding work emails outside of hours (58%) and disabling push notifications (54%).
The UK government is exploring a ‘right to switch off’ policy, looking to examples like Ireland and Belgium. Gethin Nadin, psychologist and Chief Innovation Officer at Benefex, urged employers to act swiftly to address the growing issue, noting that long-term sickness and stress are reaching record levels.
Nearly two-thirds (62%) of employees said that managers should help them mentally disconnect from work after hours. Additionally, 59% felt that organizations should set clear boundaries.
The main actions that employees wanted companies to implement included respecting work-life boundaries (54%), ensuring that workloads are manageable (52%), and promoting a workplace culture where switching off is both respected and encouraged (48%).