The “Right to switch off” is just the beginning of improving employee productivity and wellbeing

According to a new report released by Protime UK, the new government’s proposed “Right to Switch Off”, for employees, is only a first step for organisations that want to address unboundaried working and its profound negative impact on businesses and employees.

The study, which was conducted on 2,000 UK workers and published in a report entitled “The Work-Life Boundary Gap – What it is and How to Fix It”, revealed that, while 93% of employees believe work-life balance is critical for overall wellbeing, 2/3 (67%) don’t think they can switch off completely or maintain their work-life boundaries.

According to the study, poor work-life integration negatively impacts employee wellbeing for 41% on a daily basis or weekly and for two thirds (65%) of employees on a monthly or greater basis.

In the past year, employees took 5.4 days off due to stress or anxiety. Only 26% of them said they never had time off.

Other key findings from the research included:

• Unwanted messages and alerts cause the most interruptions outside of work hours: By removing push notifications (54%) and not checking emails outside of office hours (58%) employees can mentally switch off.

• Employers are responsible for maintaining work-life balance. 62% of managers believe that employees should be able to mentally detach outside of working hours, and 59% think organisations should enforce boundaries.

• Other actions must be taken to support employees in switching off. Employees want their organisations to respect work-life balance (54%), ensure workloads are manageable (52%), and create a culture that encourages and respects switching off (48%)

• Employers must provide guidelines for managing work-life balance: Only one-quarter of employees (24%) believe that employers and employees should decide how to work, and only one-fifth (17%) feel that one-size-fits-all rules are bad for business.

• The “Right to Disconnect” is widely supported. 72% employees support a “Right to Disconnect” similar to Ireland’s policies, and many employees believe it will improve their work-life harmony.

• Employers have a significant opportunity to improve their management of employee wellbeing.Only 11% of workers said that their employer does a good job managing wellbeing, and 26% say they receive no meaningful support.

• Few organizations have a comprehensive management approach to wellbeing:Only one fifth of employees reported initiatives like being consulted about realistic work volume (21%), setting up clear work-life boundary (21%), or the existence (18%) and enforcement (20%) of policies that protect work-life balance.

Simon Garrity from Protime’s UK & International Business Development said –

Our research shows that unboundaried working has a negative impact on employee productivity and wellbeing.

The “Right to Switch Off”, while a great step forward, is only the beginning. The management of work-life balance requires a holistic approach, which includes clear policies, cultural shifts, and practical tools for employees.

Benefits are numerous – increased employee productivity, decreased burnout, reduced absenteeism and improved wellbeing.

“It’s time that businesses realised that respecting employees’ work-life balance is not only good for them, but also essential for the long-term success of their organisation.”

Download the full report by clicking on this link :The work-life boundary gap – why it matters and how to fix it .

The first time this post appeared was on HR news.