I got a press release by email this morning from the Info-Tech Research Group. (www.infotech.com) The London-Ontario based group did an onsite survey that asked respondents to define “if they feel no obligation, somewhat obligated, obligated or absolutely obligated to be available to their employer virtually 24/7.”
“A whopping 81 percent of employees feel obligated ? at least to some degree ? to be available to their employers 24/7. Only 19 per cent of respondents said they feel no obligation whatsoever to be available for work all the time.”
I have to think that people feel this way for one of two reasons:
A. They’re a “Type A” personality and just can’t let go, or,
B. Their employers are perpetuating this standard in some way.
Do you feel this way? Or more to the point, are you made to feel this way by your employer? If so, what are the tactics/subtle pressure used to encourage 24/7-work-mode?
As a manager, do you encourage your reports to keep in constant contact with the office? If not, how do you ensure that your employees don’t get “burnout”?