Out of Office, But Not Out of Touch
ATLANTA -- Summer is here, vacations are planned and employees must decide: To disconnect or not to disconnect? American workers continue to struggle with the nuances of a work/life balance, such as remaining connected to work outside of normal business hours or taking full advantage of vacation days.
Fully 42% of employees feel obligated to check in with work while on vacation and 26% feel guilty using all of their allotted vacation time, finds Randstad's most recent employee engagement study.
Employees' conflict about whether to disengage when given the opportunity becomes more pronounced in light of Randstad data that show 67% of workers report feeling more productive after they return from vacation.
Feeling guilty about separating work and personal life is not restricted to vacation time. The research shows that 45% of workers feel obligated to respond to email after hours and 47% feel guilty if they don't work (either on site or from home) when they call off sick.
"Helping employees balance work and personal life remains a pain point for many U.S. companies," said Jim Link, chief human resources officer for Randstad North America, in a prepared statement. "With technology blurring workday boundaries, employees can easily slip into a pattern of being always available, especially if their boss or co-workers engage in business after hours."
The Randstad study also looked at work/life balance sentiments across the generations of the U.S. workforce. Gen Y, also known as the millennial generation (born 1982 to 1993), is most inclined to remain "on" during off hours, with 52% of respondents saying they feel compelled to respond to emails outside of work. Additionally, 40% of millennials express guilt about using all of their allotted vacation time, more than double the 18% of baby boomers who report a similar sentiment.
"Gen Y was born into the era of technology and as a group is more comfortable than baby boomers or Gen X with being constantly connected in both their work and personal lives," Link noted. "As Gen Y and incoming Gen Z employees populate the workforce, companies will need to create protocols that thoughtfully address work/life boundaries to meet both organizational goals and employee needs and tendencies."
Fast Company has found that 120 million American workers are "mobile workers," those who work from their mobile devices that make constant contact as easy as the push of a button.
"Given 24/7 accessibility to their teams, managers must be mindful how their actions set the tone about being 'on' outside of normal work time," Link advised. "Managers should clarify expectations regarding after-hours communication and encourage teams to develop daily routines that respect work and personal boundaries. Imbalance can easily lead to stressed and disgruntled employees, negative health and morale issues, and diminished worker productivity."
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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