Amongst the reasons for this are the impact of what Larissa Barber, a workplace psychologist at Northern Illinois University, calls ‘workplace telepressure’ – technology and globalisation which have enabled us to stay connected to work 24/7 and the associated pressure of immediate responsiveness.  Even though the European Union mandates 20 days of paid leave, many of us when we are on leave, feel obliged to keep in touch with what is happening at our workplace via email and telephone.

The  mounting evidence from the past decade of research concludes that to get the most from breaks we need to step away from our jobs physically and mentally.  ‘No matter how we look at it, detachment is good for well-being’ says Charlotte Fritz, an organisational psychologist at Portland State University who published a review paper on this subject last year, she found ‘the benefits include lower exhaustion, higher positive mood, better sleep and better quality of life’.

Research suggests that our current working model of long hours and constant availability is not ideal for mental health or productivity and the idea that being responsive is the same as being productive and doing good work is fundamentally challenged.  Lesley Perlow, a professor at Harvard University, demonstrated the benefits of uninterrupted downtime in a four year study she and her team conducted at the Boston Consulting Group.  The work habits of employees who worked extremely long hours were studied (results published in 2009 Harvard Business Review).  In one experiment each member of a team of four consultants took a total break from work one day per week, and in a second experiment every member of a team dedicated one night per week for personal time.  Whilst there was a lot of resistance initially, fear of backlogs, perception etc., after five months the study subjects were feeling more energised, productive, satisfied with their work/life balance and prouder of their accomplishments.  Since then the Boston Consulting Group has implemented the same practices in more than 2,000 teams in 66 offices in 35 countries.

Psychologists have established that being disconnected from work regularly, like weekends and evenings is more beneficial that constantly being ‘on’ followed by a long holiday, then back to the same ‘always on’ mode again.  The holiday definitely works, but as Ferris Jabr a contributing writer for ‘Scientific American Mind’ says ‘it is like applying a single ice cube to a burn: it will help for a little while, but soon enough the ache returns.’

So as you enter into the October Bank Holiday weekend, take some baby steps and give yourself at least one day when you will abandon the emails, the reports and the catching-up and you will reap the benefits when you switch back on!

Fast Facts

• Time off creates perspective and boosts productivity.
• Responsiveness is about availability not quality of work.
• Some daily practices such as naps, meditation or a walk outside can help refresh attention.

References:    Scientific American Mind September/October 2016

                          Harvard Business Review 2009