IS THERE A GOLDILOCKS AMOUNT — NOT TOO MUCH, NOT TOO LITTLE — of after-hours digital connectedness? A recent study suggests a sweet spot for how much we should connect digitally to our jobs after hours. Today we address digital connectedness after work.
I generally avoid checking work email or doing other job-related tasks during my off hours, even though engaging in work makes me feel more connected with colleagues. What is your approach?
How much outside-of-work activity is too much? “Jasmine” Hu, Ph.D., corresponding author of a recent study addressing the issue and professor of management at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business (USA), offers some answers.
Staying connected to work is good, right?
Writing online in Personnel Psychology, Dr. Hu and colleagues did two studies in China with similar results. The researchers conducted the study before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first research investigation included 467 pharmaceutical company employees and their supervisors. The second study had 313 financial services employees and their supervisors.
First, participants rated how often they used mobile digital devices to work outside of normal hours in various settings. They rated connectivity on a scale of one (never) to five (always).
One month later, all subjects completed a questionnaire measuring “social capital development” at work. How much did they network with others at work? How well-connected to colleagues did they feel? They also answered queries about emotional exhaustion and burnout.
After an additional month, supervisors rated the study participants’ performance.
Connectedness outside work: Study results
Here are the study results:
Up to a certain point, after-hours connectivity for work-related matters led to more social capital for employees and better performance ratings from their supervisors.
In Newswise.com, Dr. Hu summarizes the findings: “At low to moderate levels, staying connected digitally to work was beneficial for both employees and employers,” Hu said.
If you want to build better connections with people who can help you enhance your work performance (or advance your career), connectedness outside the work environment pays off.
But if you connect (outside of work) more than a moderate amount, you are more likely to feel burned out at work and awaken with fatigue. The result is poorer job performance.
So what is the sweet spot for outside work digital connectedness? Study author Hu indicates that it varies by job type. This study is a reminder that finding a balance is critical to success. I suspect this observation is even more important in the COVID-19 pandemic era, where the work/non-work lines are increasingly blurred.
Thank you for joining me in this brief look at after-hours digital connect. What say you?
