'Always-on' | Mastering work-life balance in the pandemic

There is currently a feeling that looms over the world of work – largely due to the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and the swift move to remote working.

The feeling, which sits deep down in the pit of your stomach, is one of anxiety. Anxiety not just because of the threat of COVID-19, although this is undoubtedly additional stress compounding the pressure, but because for many at the moment, it feels like to switch off is to ‘cheat’.

Despite being isolated from one another, unlike any other time in the history of working life, we are connected. Work chats, instant messaging, emails, phone calls redirected to mobiles, Slack, Microsoft Teams, FaceTime calls and Zoom meetings. The options for contact with our peers are almost never-ending. However, for all that these tools have done to facilitate working in times of crisis and isolation, they come with a stark caveat that every professional needs to be aware of.

This is the threat of presenteeism and that ‘always-on’ feeling. Studies have shown that more workers are burned out in the modern workplace than at any other point in modern history. Why? This is because when work chats and emails are always one click away, the temptation to simply endlessly scroll through, reply to messages, send emails and complete tasks outside of work hours is huge.