The Real Cost of Working Outside of Work Hours

Working hours have become an ambiguous concept in recent years. Exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ability to fully disconnect from work is becoming increasingly elusive for most employees. While in the past a “good” employee was one who gave their undivided attention and efforts while at work, the advent of technology blurred the boundaries of what it means to be at work; work is now at the tips of most people’s fingers, all the time.

What this means for most leaders, is that more work can be done. Questions and concerns no longer have to wait until the next workday to be resolved, and a new concept has emerged as a result: commitment to work. “Commitment”, a type of dedication that was once discussed only in relation to another person, goal, or cause, is now an informal measure of employee behaviour. Those who choose not to engage with work outside of work hours, can be perceived as “not committed”, and covertly reprimanded by not being considered for promotions, or by being the first to go during company cuts. In other words, disengaging from work outside of work hours is no longer a viable option for many employees.

The Benefits of Disengaging from Work

Each person has multiple roles that they take on: a partner, a parent, a sibling, a child, a caregiver, a friend, an employee, etc. These roles, although often seen as separate from one another, are in fact connected in meaningful ways, and shape each other to a large extent. For example, “enrichment” occurs when positive experiences in one role improve the person’s performance in their other roles (McMillan et al., 2011). Most people can relate to the experience of having a great weekend with their friend or partner, and coming in to work on Monday feeling more energized, motivated, and focused than usual.

In order for our other roles to enrich our work performance, however, they need to be nurtured. Creating a satisfying personal life takes time, attention, and effort – resources that are only available when we disconnect from work. Therefore, one benefit of disengaging from work outside of work hours is that it allows the person to direct their resources toward nurturing their other roles, which can subsequently improve their work performance through the process of enrichment.

Another reason to disengage from work during nonwork hours, is that in order to be good at any role, one needs to take breaks from it (Cheng & McCarthy, 2013). This sounds intuitive in relation to personal roles: when we take a break from parenting, it can help us be more patient parents, and when we spend some time apart from our partner, we may feel more warm and caring when we reunite. This is also true in professional roles; disconnecting from work can help us effectively navigate challenges at work, enhance productivity, and increase work satisfaction (Cheng & McCarthy, 2013).

Finally, research has found that when people are able to engage in leisurely activities without thinking about their job or job-related issues, they are more satisfied with their lives, have better physical, social, and emotional well-being, recover better from work stress, and perform better at work (Bloom et al., 2018; Sonnentag, 2012; Trenberth, 2005).

 

The Risks of Not Disengaging from Work

Restricting work engagement to work hours is clearly important not only for the personal and social well-being of the individual, but also for their engagement and performance at work. And while this may yield significant advantages for the organization in the long run, such as healthy, satisfied, and productive employees, in the short-term this could mean that less work is being done. So why should leaders encourage work disengagement outside of work hours? If not for the well-being benefits for their employees, they should consider some of the risks for their organization.

A recent study found that employees who are expected to monitor and answer their emails after-hours, are more likely to experience a feeling of detachment while at work, and report planning to quit their job (Belkin et al., 2020). Additionally, continuous connectivity can cause a range of health issues. Health problems that are related to a sedentary lifestyle and excessive screen time may include headaches, problems with the eyes, and musculoskeletal concerns. More chronic conditions can arise as a result of lack of relaxation and exercise (Pons, 2023).

For the organization, employees’ health concerns result in taking sick days, leaving work midday due to health reasons, and an inability to fully focus on work due to distracting pain and discomforts (e.g., headaches). Finally, as one would expect, not detaching from work after work hours can lead to increased bad mood, disrupted sleep, and burnout (Taylor, 2019). While these appear to be individual-level risks, they in fact carry high costs for the organization in terms of the quality of the output that is being produced, and the costs related to employee sickness and turnover.

What if Employees Don’t Want to Disengage?

It is true that some employees, if given the choice, will choose to continue their work after-hours. Should these employees be prohibited from engaging with work outside of work hours? The answer is, probably not. The negative consequences outlined above appear to the result of the expectations to be available outside of work hours, and the tacit perception that setting boundaries about work hours represents a lack of commitment to work. So while it appears to be beneficial for most employees to take time away from work in the evenings and weekends, some may choose to work around the clock, even if not required to do so. Organizations should provide opportunities for detachment from work, such as implementing no-email rules during evenings and weekends, while at the same time giving employees the freedom to make autonomous choices about how they want to spend their after-work time.