Matt Cooper of Today FM put the Last Word out there after Chartered Society of Physiotherapists carried out a survey on Office Workers in England on the effects of conducting out of hours work, its effect on out of office lifestyles and their stress levels.
A spokesperson from Chartered Society of Physiotherapists in Northern Ireland Policy Officer Tom Sullivan and Lisa Holt Managing Director at Careers Register and Cpl Group discussed the survey, whether Office Workers are placing their physical and mental health at risk by continuing to work after hours.
According to Sullivan physical issues that result from out of office work includes stress, back issues and posture related health problems.
- The survey found that Office Workers would like to develop a healthy work life balance out of the office is important and once they clock off work they should be allowed to cancel the use of the phone and email while at home. Sullivan also recommended that Office Workers should be able to have the opportunity to discuss with an employer if it was becoming an issue for the employee. Tom said people feel duty bound to respond to their employer 24/7.
Lisa stated that having technology such as cloud computing and the iphone and the ability to work at home in the evening, has revolutionised working and gives everyone greater freedom and flexibility when managing their workload.
Once the ergonomics are good, really does suit a lot of people. She said like everything working at home at night time has to be done in moderation but that to be able to leave the office at a reasonable hour, spend time with family and then log on later in a quieter environment – is a great benefit. There are no interruptions like email coming in to your inbox, and this can result in more even headed decisions and being more prepared for the day ahead. As a fulltime working Mum herself, she says having the technology available to her is life changing. She agreed with some of Tom Sullivan points but on the whole feels that it is the employees decision to make this happen or not and that is becoming more the norm for people to work at home in the evenings. Lisa said that she believes that in this market being responsive to the client and available is the key to success. If you are not in, you cannot win. Its down to each employee to make the decision, plan it out and work it around their lives.
