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Responding to work emails after office hours may be damaging to your health

Employees do not need to spend actual time on work in their off-hours to experience the harmful effects. The mere expectations of connectivity of a person at all times, increases the strain for employees and their significant others -- even when employees do not engage in actual work during non-work time.

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Written By: Aishwarya Iyer | Updated : August 13, 2018 8:37 AM IST

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Does your boss expect you to be ever- available on emails or phone for official work? If yes, remember that this is causing harm to you and your relationships- no, we aren't the only ones saying it but a study has proven this. Stress caused by bosses or organizations that lead to personal and professional strain is a grim reality today.

Expectations to stay available all the time for official purposes are "an insidious stress or that not only increases employee anxiety, decreases their relationship satisfaction and has detrimental effects on employee health, but it also negatively affects their partner's health and marital satisfaction perceptions," said Liuba Belkin, Associate Professor at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, US in a study. This study was presented at the Academy of Management's annual meeting,Chicago.

"The competing demands of work and non-work lives present a dilemma for employees, which triggers feelings of anxiety and endangers work and personal lives," added William Becker, Associate Professor at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the US.

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An example to follow

Amazon, an e-commerce giant has been on the receiving end of some flak after the alleged inhuman treatment was meted out to its warehouse workers across the globe. The Indian arm of this e-commerce giant has indicated a contradiction. In one of his talks yesterday, Amazon's Indian unit chief, Amit Agarwal reportedly has made it clear that no important company decisions will be made from 6pm-8am, which are the non-working hours. Moreover, in a reported business note that was circulated to all its employees, he specified that no employee shall receive calls, messages or emails post working hours.

How to maintain work-life balance?

Yes, your work is very important and you ought to be there for your company at all points of time. However, there needs to be a limit to everything. Besides, office hours are fixed for a reason. Here are 5 quick ways to maintain the work-life balance:

  1. Don't respond to emails or messages post working hours: Once you step out of your office, don't keep working or responding to emails.
  2. Know that 'breaks' are important: Mental breaks from your work schedule are mandatory.
  3. Get a life: Oh cummon, don't be nerdy. Maintain a strict working-hours policy. Just like you should reach office at a stipulated time, make sure you leave at a stipulated time too.
  4. Don't waste time talking and roaming while at work: This one is an important one. While you sit in office, utilize your time strictly for work alone. Leaving on time doesn't mean you don't work efficiently.
  5. Don't take work worries home: This is a strict NO-NO. Worries with regard to work needs to stay in office alone, exactly like your worries at home should be kept there only. Don't mix the two.

(with inputs from IANS)

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Aishwarya Iyer

Aishwarya Iyer

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