How Being “Always On” Can Be Good And Bad

According to a Myers-Briggs study, “always on” culture can be both good and bad, depending on the person’s personality type.

“This suggests that organizations will benefit from exploring how to help individuals find the sweet spot between using technology to increase engagement and flexibility,” said John Hackston, head of thought leadership and study co-author at The Myers-Briggs Company. “And not letting technology take over to the point of causing negative effects.”

While the study was published last December, it is highlighting a huge obstacle that has become prevalent in the pandemic era.

The findings also revealed that those who were able to easily access their work emails outside of work were more engaged, but also experienced more stress. 

Additionally, those who were unable to disconnect at the end of the work day saw their personal lives suffer.

However, people who strictly focused on separating their home and work lives see “always on” culture to be more stressful than those who are more flexible in their day-to-day schedules.

So how can companies adapt to these various personalities to ensure that all employees are supported? The key is simply flexibility.

According to another report from Slack, 72% of 9,000 knowledge workers stated they want a hybrid work arrangement, which is a mix of both remote and in-office working.

This allows employees to keep the benefits of remote working, such as telecommuting and a better work-life balance, as well as the perks of office arrangements, like socialization and collaboration.