It’s no secret that technology has slowly invaded today’s work world. Technology has completely transformed the way we transfer information and create relationships with people that we work with. In light of everything going on in our world today, technology has become even more involved in the workforce as millions of people transition to working remotely. While technology has several benefits for organizations (we discussed a few in a recent blog post, which you can read about here), the constant access to work through technology also comes with some downfalls. Workplace Telepressure is a concept that has recently emerged and is important to be aware of because of potential negative consequences. Here are 3 things you need to know about Workplace Telepressure:
1. What It Is:
Workplace Telepressure is a fairly new idea that has come up with the increased use of technology in the workplace. This term essentially describes the pressure one feels to respond to requests immediately that are sent through any electronic method (e-mail, text messages, instant messaging, etc.) because we have constant access to our work. While there are several benefits to increased use of technology, the mental and physical health costs might outweigh the benefits to workers in the long run. The main reason that technology can cause harm to employees is because having constant access to work can blur boundaries and workers may still feel the need and pressure to respond to work messages even when not working.
2. How Telepressure Affects Work-life Balance:
Virtually every employee in today’s world works toward maintaining work-life balance. The ability to “shut off” one’s mind from work thoughts can explain the relationship between workplace telepressure and work-life balance. Because workplace telepressure is associated with work-life balance, it is important that employees are aware of it, so they can take steps to improve their work-life balance.
3. How to Decrease the Negative Effects:
This article talks about the health implications that telepressure may be causing due to stress during work hours and even nonwork hours. However, the good news is that there is some direction for how we can decrease the effects of workplace telepressure. A critical way to lower workplace telepressure is by creating boundaries from work-related technology. It’s important to set aside planned times reserved only for your family and friends and actively not checking your work emails/texts. There are also three methods of recovery, which include detachment, relaxation, and control. Working on these three methods can help to reduce workplace telepressure and improve work-life balance.
While there is still much research to be done on workplace telepressure, it is a concept that affects almost every worker. With the increased use of technology due to working from home, the boundaries between work and home life are becoming very blurred during this time. It is extremely helpful to be aware of this and take action to prevent unnecessary telepressure. There is no way to completely avoid telepressure in today’s work world however, we have recently posted other articles that talk about the benefits of technology, as well as the best ways to use technology at work, which can improve a sense of control. Check them out below!
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