Many people are on holiday break the end of this week.
Yet, a large majority of them are still checking their work email… just in case.
Do you check work email after hours and when you are on vacation?
Email After Hours
Most jobs do not mandate that you check email after work. Yet, most of us do.
Does your job require email after hours or are you just addicted?
While we self-impose this ritual, it has become an unwritten expectation at many companies.
Why do we continuously check work email, when we are not at work?
We incessantly check our work email because we are afraid of missing something.
Yet, this is a destructive practice that interrupts our lives, our productivity, and our happiness.
Ironically, most things you read in your work email can’t be addressed until you get back to work anyway.
Trust me, your email will be there when you get back. It’s not going anywhere.
Less Email, Less Stress
Studies have shown that those that don’t check email during off hours are less stressed.
Is that a surprise?
Have you ever checked work email right before you go to bed? (Bad idea.)
And there is that one email that upsets you and you simmer on it all night long?
We give email too much precedence in our lives. Just because someone sends you an electronic message, doesn’t mean that you are required to jump.
Some companies are starting to address this and have gone to the extreme of not delivering email after hours or disabling workers mobile access after the workday.
Here are some tough questions to ask yourself about your work email habits…
- Why do you check it during off hours?
- Does your job require you to check email after hours? (Maybe you need a communication contract…)
- Do you check email because you are afraid of missing something?
- Do you ever stop working your job? Even on vacation?
- Do you really need email access on your phone?
- Do your job have alternate means to contact you if there is an emergency?
- What is the worst that could happen if you didn’t check it after hours?
You may just find that your “email leash” is a self-imposed condition.
Turn Off the Email After Hours
You don’t have to let email constantly interrupt your life.
If you job doesn’t mandate checking it during off hours, then why do you?
So, turn off that email and turn on your life.
Put the phone down.
Say hello to the person in the room with you.
They just might want to talk to you, too.
Question: Do you check email during off hours or vacation? Does your job require it?
We could all benefit from this article! Thanks for the challenge!
Great article!
Well put, Craig. Thanks for sharing. I agree wholeheartedly… I just came off two weeks of vacation and completely removed the email tile from my phone. Longest I’ve gone not checking it and… IT FELT GREAT!
That’s so true! Unfortunately, I fall under the category of “might miss something”. I manage the social networks for our organization, so I’m always thinking I might get a message that a comment or post needs to be moderated.