The long-hours culture familiar to most managers has now given way to the ‘always-on’ culture. Connected devices, like smartphones, are driving more and more managers to regularly check their emails out of hours. According to the 1,574 managers we surveyed for our latest Quality of Working Life report, they’re working, on average, an extra 60 minutes every
day on top of their contracted hours. In total this equals 29 days a year, which effectively cancels out the typical holiday entitlement of 28 days.
This ‘always-on’ culture is having a deleterious effect on the health of managers. Many report suffering increased stress and associated problems, such as persistent headaches and insomnia. The impact on managers’ work is great: the longer the hours they put in, the less
productive they say they become. This should be a big flashing warning light for employers.