While many organisations upgraded mobile working arrangements during this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, a survey by IT staffing provider Modis finds that this can have a negative impact on staff morale.

According to its survey of 1,014 office workers, most of whom own a suitable device, regularly check emails before work (56%), after office hours (66%) and at the weekend (60%). 

Office workers cite time pressures during the working day (36%) as the most common reason why they look at mobile devices outside their contracted working hours. However, many people also feel obliged to make themselves available to meet the expectations of senior management (29%), colleagues (29%) and clients (24%).

Modis managing director Roy Dungworth says: “Portable technology should be a liberator not a shackle for the modern workforce… Businesses also need to be aware of and manage potentially negative repercussions to ensure employees don’t feel mentally chained to their desks.

“IT and HR teams should work together to explain why mobile devices are being made available to employees and set clear guidelines as to exactly what is expected of them in terms of remote working.”