Employees who use technological devices to stay in touch with work out-of hours may be more stressed and face wellbeing issues, such as work-life balance, researchers have found.

According to a team from the University of Surrey in the UK, using devices, such as smartphones and iPads, to stay in touch with work outside of normal working hours ‘is a complex issue which is here to stay and needs to be addressed'.

They found that while remaining in touch with work may initially appear to increase efficiency and flexibility, ‘in the long run, it can result in longer work hours and can be detrimental to wellbeing due to stress and work-life balance issues'.

The researchers analysed 65 studies involving around 50,000 employees, in an attempt to assess the effects of always being ‘switched on' for work outside of normal working hours.

They found that while many employees hoped that remaining in contact with work would increase their efficiency and flexibility, many also remained ‘switched on' because they felt that they were expected to be available to their jobs all day every day.

"We need to re-think unlimited 24/7 access to work, and manage technology use more wisely and in particular, more actively. Researchers, employers and employees need to work jointly on how to make the use of technologies as beneficial as possible, reducing the negative effects. Otherwise, there is a danger of unintended knock-on effects," the team commented.

They presented their findings at the British Psychological Society's Division of Occupational Psychology Annual Conference in Glasgow.