Emails after work may be counter-productive

Increasingly, employees are answering work emails after hours in Canada and, besides being stressful, at least one researcher says it can be counter-productive. “It’s a growing problem,” says Rhonda McEwen, an assistant professor of new media at the University of Toronto. “Today, we’re seeing a blurring of those lines between work and personal life—almost an expectation that we need to be reachable at all times, even when…on vacation.”

France is considering passing a law to set out times when companies would not be allowed to email staff. No such move is being considered in Canada, although there are some labour unions looking into the problem.

Poor job prospects compel employees

Sometimes it is employees who feel compelled to respond to emails after hours, says McEwen. Jobs are more difficult to get and keep and she thinks employees want to stand out and prove their worth by answering all messages at all times. Sometimes they simply model behaviour of senior executives.

But she doesn’t think perpetual connection is a good thing. Besides depriving employees of a good rest, she says it can affect productivity.

Productivity affected

“The quality of work is not what it should be. By responding quickly or when we’re in a minute of down time, whereas before we may have taken more time to craft a response or to do some research, we’re firing off quick answers that may not be of the right quality,” says McEwen.

“In fact, we may be creating more work because then we have to send follow-ups or people need clarification and so on. So it can be a negative effect on productivity.”

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Companies should act, says professor

Some employers have already realized this, says McEwen. She interviewed senior executives and one installed a glass table to stop employees from checking their smartphones at meetings. McEwen says organizations should take steps to limit smartphone use and act before governments consider imposing rules on them.