Checking work emails after office hours lead to stress

Have you developed a habit to check emails after office hours on your cell phone? You are heading towards 'stress bomb' that can explode anytime. According to a latest Gallup poll, using cell phones and tablet to read and send work emails outside office hours can dramatically improve your stress levels.

The findings revealed that nearly half of workers who frequently email for work outside of normal working hours report experiencing stress "a lot of the day". Also, nearly 62 percent of workers said they have employers who expect them to check emails frequently outside of working hours.

Gallup interviewed 4,475 working adults, aged 18 and older, in the US. The survey found that time spent working remotely outside of working hours has similar problems. Nearly 47 percent of those who work remotely at least seven hours per week reported a lot of stress the previous day compared with 37 percent experiencing stress who reported no remote work time.

Workers who leverage mobile technology more often outside of work are much more likely to be stressed on any given day. "Such behaviours can both positively and negatively influence employees' well-being in the long run," the researchers added.