As I write this, I’ve just returned from a holiday in which the steady stream of digital requests on one’s time seldom seemed to cease, with the humble “out of office” doing little to stem the tide. This isn’t a problem just at holiday time, of course, as digital technology allows work to creep into our personal lives all year round.

Research from Ohio State University explores whether there is a sweet spot for the amount of time we should be connected after hours. For instance, the researchers found that checking email can actually make us feel more connected to our colleagues, which in turn makes us more productive. This flips at a certain point, however, after which things start to decline.

“When workers spend too much time on their phones and laptops outside of working hours, it leads to emotional exhaustion and lower job performance,” the researchers explain.

Finding the balance

Across a couple of studies, both of which were conducted pre-Covid, they examined whether there was an optimal level of out-of-hours connectivity. For instance, participants were asked to rate how often they used their mobile devices for work outside of office hours, and also what they used them for. They rated their connectivity levels on a range of 1 (never) to 5 (always).

After a month had passed, they then completed a questionnaire that was designed to measure social capital development at work. This measured things like how often they networked with colleagues and how connected they felt to them. It also measured their emotional exhaustion and levels of burnout. Then, after another month had passed, their supervisors rated the performance of each of the participants.

The results suggest that after-hours connectivity can help to develop more social capital, and therefore improve the performance levels of employees, but this only works up to a point.

“At low to moderate levels, staying connected to work was beneficial for both employees and employers,” the researchers explain. “Connectivity allowed employees to build better and stronger connections with people who could help them with their jobs, enhance their performance, and advance their career.”

Risking burnout

As soon as employees started to do more than a moderate level of work out of hours, however, they reported that they were more likely to feel burned out and fatigued, which are common signs of emotional exhaustion. This unsurprisingly had a negative impact on their performance.

The researchers believe that this sweet spot is likely to differ depending on the employees, their role, and the organization they work for. They’re confident, however, that finding it can be hugely important to motivation, productivity, and wellbeing.

“Organizations risk damage if they fail to recognize that too much connectivity may be detrimental to employee performance,” they explain. “It is a good idea for organizations to work with employees to identify when connectivity is too much and to clarify expectations regarding when to respond to after-hours messages from work.”