The government’s planned “Right to Switch Off” for employees is just the first step in addressing the damaging effects of blurred work-life boundaries, according to new research from Protime UK.
The study, conducted among 2,000 UK employees and published in the report “The Work-Life Boundary Gap – Why it Matters and How to Fix it”, found that while 93 percent of employees view work-life balance as essential for overall wellbeing, 67 percent feel unable to fully switch off from work or maintain personal boundaries.
Impact on Wellbeing
The report highlights the toll that poor work-life balance takes on employees, with 41 percent reporting negative impacts on their wellbeing daily or weekly, and 65 percent feeling the effects at least monthly. Stress, burnout, and anxiety have resulted in an average of 5.4 sick days per employee over the past year, with only 26 percent of employees reporting they have never taken time off due to these issues.
Unwanted Interruptions:
Employees identified out-of-hours messages and alerts as primary culprits for work intruding on personal time. More than half (58%) cited avoiding work emails after hours and turning off push notifications (54) as the most effective strategies to mentally disconnect.
Employer Responsibility:
Maintaining clear work-life boundaries is viewed as the responsibility of employers, with 62 percent of workers saying managers should ensure employees can mentally switch off outside of work, and 59 percent believing organisations should enforce these boundaries.
Supporting Employee Disconnect:
Respecting boundaries is just the start. Employees expressed the need for further actions, including manageable workloads (52%) and fostering a culture where switching off is encouraged (48%).
Guidelines for Boundaries:
Only 24 percent of employees think that employers and employees should collaborate on deciding how work-life boundaries should be handled. Furthermore, only 17 percent believe that applying a one-size-fits-all approach to work-life rules benefits businesses.
Broad Support for ‘Right to Disconnect’:
A significant 72 percent of employees support introducing a ‘Right to Disconnect’ policy, similar to Ireland’s model, believing it would significantly improve work-life balance.
Opportunity for Employers:
Just 11 percent of employees feel their company is doing a “very good job” of managing wellbeing, while 26 percent report that their workplace offers no meaningful support at all. Only 21 percent say they are consulted on workload volumes, and a mere 18 percent report having clear, enforced policies that protect work-life balance.
Time for Action
Simon Garrity, UK & International Business Development at Protime, emphasised the need for more comprehensive measures. “Our research shows that unboundaried work has a major negative impact on both employee wellbeing and productivity. The ‘Right to Switch Off’ is a critical first step, but businesses must go further by creating policies, fostering cultural shifts, and providing practical support for employees.”
He added, “The potential benefits are clear – better wellbeing, less burnout, reduced absenteeism, and, ultimately, greater productivity. It’s time for businesses to recognise that respecting work-life boundaries isn’t just good for employees; it’s crucial for long-term success.”
For more insights, the full research report, “The Work-Life Boundary Gap – Why it Matters and How to Fix it”, is available for download.
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
