Before you respond to that next work email from home, think about this: a new study shows that nearly all Americans work an extra nine weeks a year for free - just responding to email from home!
Now... back away from your mouse slowly.
According to Good Technology, more than 80% of working adults in the United States continue working when they have left the office - for an average of seven extra hours each week. That totals nearly an extra day of work a week - or more than nine weeks a year!
People are using their cell phones to mix work and their personal life in ways never seen before, Good Technology reported.
While 60% do it simply to stay organized, but nearly half of the people surveyed feel they have no choice because quick replies are demanded these days.
Thirty-one percent of respondents admit to continuing to work at home as they find it hard to ‘switch off.'
Half of Americans can't even put their phone down while in bed, as they read or respond to work emails after climbing under the covers.
So how does the rest of the family feel about all this extra work? The overtime has become so commonplace that only a quarter of the 1,000 workers polled said it caused an occasional disagreement with their partner.
"In today's ‘always on' mobile environment, secure access to corporate email and apps is a ‘must have' vs. a ‘nice to have' for nearly all companies," John Herrema, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy for mobile security software company Good Technology said.
"While most of our customers believe their employees do work more hours as a result of this accessibility, they also appreciate and welcome the enhanced work-life balance that comes when employees have more freedom and choice to get work done whenever and wherever they need to —whether that's in the office, on the road, or while sitting in the stands at a child's baseball game."
The study also revealed:
- 68 percent of people check their work emails before 8 a.m.
- The average American first checks their phone around 7:09 a.m.
- 50 percent check their work email while still in bed
- The work day is growing – 40 percent still do work email after 10 p.m.
- 69 percent will not go to sleep without checking their work email
- 57 percent check work emails on family outings
- 38 percent routinely check work emails while at the dinner table
