Blurring: The advent of a new work ethic?

This new behaviour transforms the organisation of private and work lives, according to Accor and IPSOS research. Indeed, high-income frequent travellers remain connected and can be reached at all times. As a result, they are blurring the frontiers between work and personal life. 

Some 86 per cent of Brits take a work mobile on holiday, while 40 per cent go so far as to take their work laptop away. Nine out of ten Brits admit to working, checking or sending business emails in the evening, 73 per cent extend work into their holidays and 40 per cent check their emails in bed before going to sleep.

When asked why business blurs into leisure, 62 per cent of Brits simply say their role requires a high level of involvement, while 28 per cent want to show commitment. But 14 per cent justify it by saying everyone at work does it.

It seems that 82 per cent of Brits feel obligated to work out of hours, with only 60 per cent feeling this will facilitate professional development. As a result, 72 per cent feel work devices impact on their personal life. 

The majority of respondents feel guilty for not spending as much time as they would like with loved ones because work comes home with them, and 27 per cent are rebuked by loved ones for not switching off. Because of this, 13 per cent hide their out of office hours from loved ones.

Conversely, some believe “blurring” has a positive impact on their private life. This signals the emergence of work activities within the private sphere and its knock-on effect: the emergence of personal activities at work, which they consider legitimate and part of a tacit moral agreement with their employer. They consider it normal to handle private activities during their working hours quite simply because they also work when they are at home.

By Shané Schutte

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