Checking your work email or taking a call from the boss on the weekends could be damaging to your health, according to German researchers.
Researchers from the Society for Labor, Industrial and Organizational Psychological Research studied 57,000 people and found that more than half worked outside their normal hours, since work documents are often easily accessible outside of work thanks to smartphones and tablets.
Those who worked longer hours were found that have more headaches, greater fatigue, anxiety, stomach problems and insomnia. Muscular problems and cardiovascular issues were also linked to working outside normal hours.
The researchers called for stricter rules to stop work from invading people’s home lives. They noted that technology has created an “always-on” culture that puts pressure on workers to constantly be available. In order to reduce the effects of such pressure, the researchers recommended recreational time free of work.
“Free time should be free time, otherwise it must be expected that it cannot fulfill functions of recovery and recuperation,” the researchers wrote.
Dr. Anna Arlinghaus, the leader author of the study, said that even a small amount of supplemental work can lead to health issues. She added that the correlation is exceptionally strong.
Additional research carried out by technology retailer Pixmania in 2012 found that access to a smartphone adds two hours to the working day. The study also found that 90 percent of office workers have an email-enabled phone, and of that percentage one in three employees access their email more than 20 times in one day.
Recently, France introduced rules to safeguard people from working outside office hours. The German government is looking do to the same.
“Not every country will implement regulations like France,” Arlinghaus said, “so companies should look to make improvements of their own accord.”
Source: DailyMail
