Leave e-mail at work can benefit people's health, reducing stress levels and contributing to better focus, a new study suggests.
The researchers found the University of California, Irvine, and the US army said a group of workers who were cut off from the use of e-mail office for five days experienced more natural, variable heart rate and switched between computer windows only half this amount.
Said study co-author Gloria Mark, informatics professor at the university, said the findings may help to increase productivity in offices that choose to implement these vacations email, either by controlling the times mail logon, mixed messages or through other strategies.
"We were surprised by the results, because they did not have to turn out this way," said Mark. "It is possible that people may be more stressed they do not have e-mail, to feel as if they were missing out on something, so we did not expect that people will become less significant tension."
Mark and her colleagues presented the study this week at a meeting of the Federation of computers, in Austin, Texas. The research presented at the first scientific conference was not peer-reviewed.
Thirteen civilian employee at the Natick Soldier Systems Center in the army, near Boston, and participated in the stage of basic data collection for three days, including interviews on the various existing e-mail use, and lasted five days for not e-mail. All the participants, who were divided between men and women, and workers had information that included chemical engineer, psychologist, materials science, biology, food and technical research director Job Titles.
Co-workers who continued reading emails turning screens twice more often - an average of 37 times per hour, compared with 18 for "vacationers" - and were in a stable "high alert" state, with a heart rate more stable, while removed from the e-mail was more natural, variable heart rate, according to the study. It said they feel more able to do their jobs and stay on task, with fewer interruptions cumbersome and time-consuming.
"While the study focused on the e-mail ... it's actually got in some important issues such as multitasking, focus and presence in what we do on the basis of day-to-day," said David Ballard, head of psychological American Psychological Association health program of action. "Really highlights the importance of people do not try to do too many things at one time and be present in what they are doing."
In spite of the small number of participants, and the results were strong, said researcher Mark, reminded the participants only downside was feeling somewhat isolated - even though they were able to gather some necessary information face-to-face from colleagues who have access to e-mail.
Ballard said he had heard of some employers considering email blackout periods to benefit employees, but acknowledged that the concept "is a real challenge."
"The challenge here is that they need to build some flexibility in the process." "People like to work in different ways ... it's not one size fits all."
"I think we focus on flexibility in the workplace, and flexible work arrangements that it was difficult to implement the solution across the border like it," Ballard. "We know from research that when control employees less, it will affect the performance in reality as well. It can actually increase the level of stress they have."
Mark said she'd researched in the future to focus on how the impact of digital technology relations now, and not just in the workplace.
", And it consumes people with the technology, it's 24/7," she said. "I think that the current younger generation interacts very differently than the older generation. I would like to know the effect on interpersonal skills."
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