“Always On”: 83% of employees stay connected to work during time off, fuelling digital anxiety
A new Kaspersky survey undertaken in the Middle
East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region reveals that digital anxiety is becoming
a defining feature of modern work culture, as employees don’t disconnect even
during their free time and vacations.
According to the findings, 83% of
respondents keep an eye on work tasks outside working hours. An overwhelming
85% reply to all work-related messages in instant messaging apps, while the
same share (85%) check work emails during their time off, and 81% admit they
are responding to work emails while on vacation or in their personal time.
The pressure to remain constantly
available is contributing to heightened stress levels in the workplace. Other
sources of stress include work issues, for example, 43% experience anxiety
after accidentally sending a random message to a work chat. Interestingly, not
all digital mishaps are perceived equally: 40% report that they take it calmly
when they send an unfinished email, proving that some mistakes are considered
less damaging than others.
Blurred boundaries between
professional and personal life, combined with instant communication tools, are
intensifying feelings of constant monitoring and fear of making digital errors.
More than a third (36%) of respondents say they feel extremely uncomfortable or
even scared if their boss notices them scrolling through social media at work
instead of working. The “always-on” culture may undermine employee well-being,
increase burnout risks, and reduce overall productivity in the long term.
“Digital anxiety doesn’t just affect
employee well-being – it can also increase cybersecurity risks for
organisations. When people feel constant pressure to respond immediately to
messages and emails, they are more likely to act impulsively, without carefully
verifying links, attachments, or sender identities. This urgency can make
employees more vulnerable to phishing, and other scams using social engineering
techniques,” comments Brandon Muller, Technical Expert at Kaspersky.
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