South: Majority of employees have 'always-on' work culture

A staggering 72.4% of Brits confess to replying to work-related emails, or making work-related calls, in their free time. In addition, one in three (34.8%) admit that they check their phone for work purposes immediately before they go to sleep and as soon as they wake up. That’s according to the latest survey from Hampshire-based CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job site.

The survey of 1,200 UK workers explored the impact of today’s ‘always on’ culture, revealing that 78.3% believe that this is having a negative effect on professionals. Respondents were also asked to share how working outside of their contracted hours has affected their life. The top problems to emerge include:

1. Poor quality of sleep – 52.8%
2. Increased stress levels – 51.9%
3. Feeling exhausted – 50.6%
4. Spending less time with family – 47.6%
5. Unable to do enjoyable hobbies – 38.8%

Furthermore, over one third (34.9%) have access to shared drives and workspaces, with 62.1% saying that they access these outside of working hours. This has lead to 71.9% agreeing that mobile devices are blurring the lines between our personal and our work lives.

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, commented: “It’s concerning to learn that such a large percentage of UK professionals are continuing to work outside of their contracted hours. While technology has opened us up to a world of opportunities, it also makes it all too easy to access emails and shared drives from home. And it’s clear that this is having a negative impact on their wellbeing, with many losing sleep, feeling increasingly stressed and having less time to enjoy their private lives.” 

With 65.1% confessing that they think about work outside of office hours, it’s unsurprising that over one in four (29.5%) professionals don’t consider themselves to have a good work-life balance. In fact, 44.4% revealed that they have left a job in the past due to poor work-life balance.

Biggins concluded: “Work-life balance is hugely important, not just for employees, but for businesses as well. Over-worked staff can become fatigued, will be less productive and ultimately could end up burning out. And with almost half admitting that they have left a job where they were unable to achieve a good balance, encouraging staff to switch off after work is vital if you wish to retain talented employees.

“To ensure that staff are taking time to re-charge, ban them from accessing emails and shared drives after work. Offering flexible working can also help employees to better shape their work around their private life. And, practise what you preach. Create a culture where work-life balance is encouraged, and ensure that senior staff aren’t seen to be putting in all hours under the sun.”