{"id":653,"date":"2018-12-07T07:11:26","date_gmt":"2018-12-07T07:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.instantoffices.com\/blog\/?p=653"},"modified":"2018-12-12T14:47:55","modified_gmt":"2018-12-12T14:47:55","slug":"the-importance-of-a-digital-detox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.instantoffices.com\/blog\/business-growth\/the-importance-of-a-digital-detox\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of a Digital Detox"},"content":{"rendered":"

The proliferation of digital devices means that we\u2019re constantly connected to the office wherever we might be, making it difficult to switch off from work, even when we should.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s a two-week holiday or a twenty-minute respite at lunch, taking a\u00a0digital detox and disconnecting from all things work-related has several important benefits,\u00a0including increased productivity and overall happiness.<\/p>\n

The Statistics<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to a study by Glassdoor<\/a>,\u00a0the average number of UK employees taking their full annual leave is 62%, while only 43% made use of 91-100% of their holiday entitlement. What\u2019s more, 13% reported only taking 20% of their allowance.<\/p>\n

The study also found that 23% of those on holiday regularly checked their emails and 15% admitted to doing some work out of fear of being behind on their return and missing targets. 20% of employees surveyed also reported that they were expected to be reachable and available to carry out some work if needed.<\/p>\n

The Office of National Statistics<\/a> released figures that revealed three million UK employees work more than 48 hours a week, a rise of a quarter of a million since 2001.<\/p>\n

The Importance of a Well-Rested Employee<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Although it may seem like a good thing from a productivity point of view, having employees constantly working can do your business more harm than good.<\/p>\n

Continuing to work over their holiday means that workers don\u2019t get a chance to fully recover from the stresses of office life, and in the end, productivity and creativity can suffer when drained employees come back to work.<\/p>\n

Find out:<\/strong> How to Identify and Prevent Burnout.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

This is, of course, not even taking into account the health benefits of a holiday \u2013 stress and exhaustion take an incredible toll on the body, and overworked employees may end up taking more sick leave throughout the year. Finally, allowing employees time off to relax can result in an all-around boost for office morale.<\/p>\n

Tips for a Digital Disconnect<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n