Technology hurts 75% of work-life balances

Technology has been blamed for upsetting our work-life balance.

Almost three out of four working people believe technology has had a negative effect on their lives, a survey reveals.

Six out of 10 accessed their office email account on a personal device and 62% replied to them outside of their working hours

The Fastnet Recruitment survey also found that 61% of employers expect employees to check emails outside of office hours.

More than half of employees said they access work emails while on annual leave, although 82% of employers did not expect their employees to do that.

More than eight out of 10 employees believe remote email access contributes to longer working hours.

Fastnet Recruitment managing director Niamh O’Driscoll said the survey of 550 employees and employers showed how people were constantly connected.

“This 24/7 accessibility means that many of us feel obliged to respond to emails and calls outside of work hours,” said Ms O’Driscoll.

In France, trade unions have imposed restrictions on employers requiring “disconnection of communication tools” for contract workers in the hi-tech and consulting sectors.

Such restrictions are not favoured by workers and employers in Ireland, however — half of employers and three quarters of employees do not want them.