Email, stress, and engagement

by. Anthony Demangone

Kate and Briggs recently took part in a “concert” that marked the end of their Vacation Bible School.

NAFCU is 10 minutes away from their school, so I grabbed my iPhone and darted off. On the way into the concert, I peeked at my phone just to make sure the world hadn’t fallen apart in the 8 minutes since I left my desk.

The world hadn’t fallen apart. The concert was simply fantastic (out of tune, full of smiles, full of energy, full of proud parents). I checked my phone on the way to the car, and I drove back to the mother-ship.

Many of you can relate to that story. Technology can be a burden, but it can also provide flexibility. Is the non-stop access to email bad? Good? A blend of both?

A fascinating study by Gallup surveyed thousands of workers to measure whether they checked email after normal work hours. The study also measured how their behavior affected them. I found the study via the Harvard Business Review, which did a wonderful overview of its findings. 

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