Whether employees use their wireless devices during off-hours is typically a personal decision, according to a new survey called, "Technology and Its Impact on Employees During Nonworking Hours," from the Society for Human Resource Management.
In fact, 21 percent of respondents have formal policies limiting employees' use of wireless devices, which includes cell phones, smart phones and tablets, during nonworking hours, while 26 percent of respondents have informal policies to control their use.
Among the respondents lacking formal or informal policies, 87 percent report allowing employees to set their own limits on the use of wireless devices.
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"Employers are not creating policies that delve into employees working outside of the traditional workday," says Evren Esen, manager of SHRM's Survey Research Center. "Whether an employee responds to email at night or during the weekend is usually linked to organizational norms. If there is such an expectation, then employees are likely to follow suit."
Of the respondents with formal policies, limits may be put in place to act in accordance with Fair Labor Standards Act overtime requirements for nonexempt employees. Another 27 percent of these respondents recognize a concern for work-life balance in limiting the how often employees are connected to work during nonworking hours. Eighty-one percent of respondents that have implemented informal policies directly communicated to employees by supervisors and managers.
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