Tackling the Problem of Workplace Telepressure: Are Disconnection Policies Helpful?

Abstract

Employees often feel obligated to respond to work messages like emails and texts immediately – a psychological experience known as workplace telepressure. Telepressure is an important problem to address given its link to work burnout. Disconnection policies that encourage employees to unplug after work hours have been a popular solution adopted by many organizations. Yet the benefits of such policies – or explicit norms – for addressing telepressure are unknown. Surveys among two worker samples suggest that the presence of disconnection policies is not associated with telepressure among employees. Only implicit norms about e-work communications specifically (after-hours availability expectations) and work prioritization generally (low family-supportive work environments) predicted telepressure. Most employees also did not think a policy would be beneficial and anticipated problems (with flexibility). Therefore, interventions aimed at creating a supportive disconnection culture for both e-work communications and work generally may be more helpful than policies.