Featured in People Management.
Recent research highlighted by People Management found that more than half of UK employees work outside their normal hours every day, despite most believing their employer respects their right to disconnect.
The findings reflect a challenge many organisations continue to face. While technology has enabled greater flexibility, it has also blurred the boundaries between work and personal life. Heavy workloads, management expectations and constant connectivity mean many employees continue to feel pressure to remain available long after the working day has ended.
Reflecting on the findings, Gemma Bullivant shared her perspective with People Management:
“Technology has enabled greater flexibility, but it has also blurred the boundaries between work and personal life.
Many people are carrying the office in their pocket, along with the mental load that comes with it. It’s therefore no surprise that so many employees work beyond their normal hours and struggle to switch off.
Global teams, hybrid working and instant communication all create pressure to be constantly available.
That constant connection also helps explain why presenteeism remains so common and why so many employees feel guilty about taking leave. When people believe commitment is measured by visibility and availability, they’re more likely to work through illness and less likely to properly recharge. Over time, this increases the risk of burnout while reducing productivity, creativity and good decision-making.
The findings suggest this is fundamentally a leadership and culture issue. Heavy workloads and management expectations won’t be solved by wellbeing initiatives. HR and leaders should focus on setting clear protocols around out-of-hours communication, ensuring workloads are realistic, and role model healthy boundaries.
Employees are far more likely to switch off when they see their managers doing exactly the same.”
Gemma’s Advice to Leadership Teams
The research highlights an important distinction between organisational policy and organisational culture. While many employers now recognise employees’ right to disconnect, workplace culture is ultimately shaped by the behaviours leaders model every day.
Leadership teams should therefore move beyond asking, “Do we have a wellbeing strategy?” and instead ask more fundamental questions:
- Are workloads realistic, or are employees regularly relying on evenings and weekends to keep up?
- Do our managers role model healthy boundaries, or do they unintentionally encourage an always-on culture?
- Are we rewarding outcomes and impact, or visibility and availability?
- Do employees genuinely feel able to take annual leave and switch off without worrying about the consequences?
Creating healthier workplace boundaries isn’t about reducing ambition or performance. It’s about creating the conditions where people can consistently perform at their best. Employees who have time to recharge are more likely to make better decisions, think more creatively, collaborate effectively and sustain high performance over the long term.
The most successful organisations recognise that sustainable performance starts with sustainable leadership. When leaders establish clear expectations around out-of-hours communication, regularly review workload and capacity, and demonstrate healthy working practices themselves, employees are far more likely to feel confident doing the same.
Continue the Conversation
This theme closely aligns with our discussion in The Strategic Leader Podcast, where we explore why strategic leaders need to create space for high value thinking rather than becoming trapped in constant operational busyness.
