When you have stacks of work piling up at the office, do you ever pack it up, take it home and continue working there? If so, you may be interested in some research that I read recently. This suggested that taking work home can have a detrimental effect on our stress levels and health. The research was carried out by the University of Surrey and Insurance firm AXA PPP Healthcare.

Given the development of phones, laptops and tablets today’s workers are part of an “always on” working culture and the first generation to have to cope with the ramifications of that. Many people I speak to frequently answer emails, take calls or plan meetings at home when they could be relaxing. This “always on” state is linked to cardiovascular disease according to the research.

The 550 city workers who took part in the study were attached to heart monitors. More than half of them were more stressed at home than at work due to continuous thoughts about their job. Stress levels remained extremely high until 8.30pm. Some in the study continued to be stressed until 1am.

The researchers believe “spikes” in workers heart rates were caused by dealing with work problems at home. The monitors showed that more than 25 members of staff at a London bank woke up between 3am and 4am thinking about work. Some even started to read or send emails.

Co-author of the report David Plans, a researcher at Surrey and developer of the BioBeats monitors used in the study said “Everybody knew that always working was bad but now we can measure when it’s happening and exactly what damage it is doing. It was much worse than we thought.” He added “Dealing with work while at home is pernicious to health and directly linkable to cardiovascular disease.”

For me the research highlights another issue. The advancement in technology and the increasing cost of office space and travel means that more and more people are working from home rather than traveling into the office. There has also been a significant increase in the number of self-employed people working from home. This type of work can blur the lines between home and office life. It can also mean that people don’t get as much social interaction as they did when they worked in an office. Therefore it’s important that they have established some clear boundaries and rules to work effectively.

Some tips to work effectively at home:

  • Be clear about your working hours – so that you maintain good work/life balance
  • Clearly define workspace within the house, which helps manage potential distractions from family members.
  • Take regular breaks from the computer screen every hour to give your eyes and brain a rest. A chance to stretch your body.
  • Keep work space clear and clutter free to reduce stress levels and aid productivity.
  • Ensure you have a clear and realistic to do list including your top 3 priorities for the day.
  • Have a ritual to officially finish work at the end of the day. Have a set cut off time. If you have an office space, close the door and switch off your technology.
  • Consider going for a walk at the end of the working day to create a clear break between work and leisure time

This week, whether you work from home or not, why not take a few moments out to reflect and consider what steps you can take to ensure that you switch off from work and aren’t “always on.”

This week’s quotation:

“It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes.” Thomas Aquinas.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk