By Jamieson Lee Hill, March 16th, 2023

Most of us live in a world where we are submerged in digital technology in our working lives and this can have detrimental and positive effects on our lives. Looking after well-being at work is more important than ever as more people are working remotely or in hybrid fashion. Let’s dive into the issues and also explore tips for maintaining positive well-being in the digital workplace.

62% Of The World Is Online

When we talk about the digital workplace we are referring to people working in technology and people who work primarily online. All of whom spend long hours in front of a screen using a computer. If you examine the figures for internet usage and compare 2000 to 2023, the expansion of the internet globally has been immense,

“There are 4.9 billion active internet users worldwide. That’s 62% of the world’s total population. Only 361 million people used the internet worldwide in 2000 (6% of the world’s population at the time).”

(Source: Zippia.com, 12th Jan, 2023)

Remote Working

Working from home may seem like ‘living the dream’, but it can also blur the lines between work and home life, with colleagues imposing on your downtime. Therefore, the reality can be very different from the imagined ideal of working remotely,

“Employees often encounter bigger interruptions, miss more lunch hours, and put in longer days than they ever did back at the office. On average, remote workers clocked a whopping 16.8 more days a year than their office colleagues, which could be why almost a third of remote workers requested a mental health day.”

(Source: Lucidchart.com, 2023)

With remote working many staff can feel compelled to work more hours than if office based. Thus, burnout and fatigue can be a very real challenge for these workers. 

Technostress And The Negative Side of Digital Working

Technostress is not a new term; it first appeared in 1984 in Craig Brod’s book ‘Technostress: The Cost of The Computer Revolution’. It refers to the ‘one’s inability to cope with technology that results in distress’. Research links technostress with biological stress reactions. Also, there are negative effects on your personal life because modern day technology keeps you in regular contact with work via messaging, emails, video conferencing etc. The cumulative effect of this can be increased technostress levels as work and family life become mixed up. It is hard to switch off and relax after work if you are constantly getting notifications. Gradually, mental health can be eroded if this inability to disconnect from digital is not managed. 

Big Brother Is Watching

Digital technology allows employers to monitor staff work by tracking time, which websites you used and tasks you covered. Certainly, this can add to your stress being closely monitored and under duress. The resulting effect can be a decline in mental well-being which can affect performance and efficiency. 

Tips For Positive Well Being in The Digital Workplace

Whether you are working remotely or in a digital and technological environment, it is important to follow a healthy routine for your own well-being. Here are some handy tips for staff or managers to follow:

Good Ergonomics Set Up

First up, make sure your workstations are set up properly with adjustable chairs, desks, and monitors to prevent strains, pains, and other injuries from prolonged sitting or typing. The last thing you want is a back injury or repetitive strain injury. 

Take Regular Breaks

Taking regular breaks to stretch, walk around, and recharge is essential. This can help reduce stress, increase focus and energy, and prevent burnout. Schedule it into your day along with your work duties.

Stay Hydrated

Drinking enough water throughout the day can help you stay focused and energized. Keep a water bottle nearby and refill it throughout the day. The benefits of drinking water throughout the day will show in your work performance and mental/physical well-being. 

Eat Healthily

A company that cares about its employees will provide healthy food options in vending machines or the cafeteria, and encourage workers to bring healthy snacks from home. If you are working from home, plan healthy snacks to keep you going as well as your main meals. Too much sugar and fatty foods will slow you down. 

Good Lighting and Ventilation

Make sure your workspace is well-lit and has adequate ventilation to prevent eye strain and headaches. Some buildings can cause illness due to ‘sick building syndrome’ due to poor lighting, ventilation and so forth. 

Regular Physical Activity

A company can help its staff by offering free or discounted gym memberships or yoga classes to help them stay active and to relieve stress. If you are working remotely, dedicate 45 minutes a day to exercise. 

Mental Health Support

Companies can offer resources for mental health support, such as counselling or employee assistance programs to support their employees with mental health struggles. 

Stay Connected With Friends & Family

If you are working remotely, make sure you manage your time to have some face-to-face contact with friends and family. Working in isolation can have a detrimental effect on your mental health and exacerbate anxiety, depression and stress. 

Positivity & Team Attitude

Businesses should encourage collaboration, teamwork, and open communication to promote a positive work environment. If you work at home alone, try methods such as Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning to put you in a positive frame of mind each morning. 

A Culture Of Open And Honest Feedback

Openness and transparency in a company are essential; giving staff the chance to speak openly about work issues makes them feel valued and contributes to positive mental well-being. This is especially important for teams working remotely where it is easy to overlook key problems for staff. 

Time Management Apps

There are apps available to set a time limit on how long you spend on tasks  and to help you manage your time. You can also set time limits on your social media usage to protect your mental health from excessive usage. Social media can instill anxiety and depression in people if used too often. 

Keep To Digital Boundaries

It is important to maintain the boundaries between your work and personal 

life when working in digital. If you do this, you will allow yourself to have proper downtime with your family and friends. It will significantly reduce your stress levels. Turn off your phone on the weekend at times or refrain from checking work emails and messages

Disconnect With Hypnotherapy

A great technique for disconnecting is using hypnotherapy recordings. Recently, I have been using Andrew Johnson’s hypnotherapy app ‘Disconnect’ and found it very effective. There are many different hypnotherapy products and services online. 

Disconnect With Binaural Beats Music

Binaural beat music is an effective way to maintain positive mental health. Youtube has freely available binaural beats music to help you relax. You need to listen with headphones to get the full effect; the binaural beats work on your brainwaves to induce a relaxed state of mind. 

Information Overload And How To Cope

Information overload is a prevalent problem in the modern world. It is important to have strategies to overcome it such as filtering information you want to receive and scheduling times to access urgent and non-urgent information. The internet can feel overwhelming if you don’t discipline your usage of it.

Reflections

Digital well-being is recognised by the European Parliament as a ‘growing crisis of mental health amongst our workforce’ and the EU is seeking to create legislation to give workers ‘proper level of protection’. The EU Parliament stated that the, ‘right to disconnect is essential to ensuring the mental well-being of employees and the self-employed’. Whether this ‘right to disconnect’ will exist globally remains to be seen, but for now , you can protect your own well-being by implementing some of the tips in this article. Good luck!

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Sources

1. The Ultimate Digital Workplace Wellness Guide 
2. 10 tips to promote digital wellness in the workplace
3. Workplace wellbeing: Digital wellbeing is now more important than ever.
4. 21 Digital Work Wellbeing Tips for 2021
5. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Mental-Health-in-a-Digitalized-Workplace.aspx
6. https://www.zippia.com/advice/how-many-people-use-the-internet/
7. https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/disadvantages-of-working-from-home#:~:text=Employees%20often%20encounter%20bigger%20interruptions,requested%20a%20mental%20health%20day.
8. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Mental-Health-in-a-Digitalized-Workplace.aspx
9. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2022-0184_EN.html