After-hours work communication can fuel burnout and stress, especially phone calls, according to recent research. The study reveals distinct impacts from emails, calls, and texts on employees.
“The technology you use matters,” says the study's co-author. “Emails empower employees to control response timing, choosing moments that least disrupt personal life—with virtually no negative effects.” Phone calls, however, strip away that control, intensifying psychological transitions and fragmenting private time.
Researchers identified three key mechanisms: load interruption, psychological transition, and task closure.
Isolated interruptions pose little issue, but accumulation triggers stress, erodes positivity, leads to burnout, and blurs work-life boundaries.
“Problems arise when interruptions exhaust free time and energy,” the researcher notes. “This drains vital reserves needed for personal responsibilities.” Switching into 'work mode' and back is cognitively taxing.
“A work call during dinner or playtime demands shifting to work mode. Afterward, returning to family life invites lingering work rumination, making personal time feel invaded and fragmented—leaving you perpetually 'on' and exhausted.”
Not all interruptions harm. Those offering task closure can benefit.
“An after-hours call confirming a major project's completion provides closure, allowing you to pause work focus and embrace personal life,” the researcher explains.
