To have found that checking my work emails in the evenings/weekends has actually been good for my mental health

[octoberblue]

I put my work email and Microsoft Teams on my phone around a month ago as I was having issues with my laptop and needed to speak to colleagues urgently. Ever since then I've left them on there and I've found that it has really helped with my mental health, even though it goes against the general advice for having a good work/life balance.

It's stopped that morning dread of opening my laptop on Monday morning at 9am, unsure of what's come in over the weekend. Like I checked my work emails quickly last night and saw a piece of work has come in for me that we were waiting for, now I know that the bulk of my Monday will be spent working on that, it helps me mentally prepare for the day/week ahead and stop worrying about things.

Does anyone else find the same? Or do you find checking your work emails/Teams messages in the evenings/weekends affects you in a negative way?

I have a work phone so can ignore it when I want to. But I do like having the option, things like if I'm finishing early my colleagues will IM me on teams if I'm needed or drop a text, it means I'm not chained to a laptop.

I am guilty of having a sudden lightbulb moment and emailing at odd times, but it allows me to get whatever it is out and go back to sleep or whatever I was doing.

There is a fine line and you need to be aware that you're not doing a lot of extra work on off hours.

I’ve done this for years. Not formally checking before Monday, more - my work phone is lying around and it lights up, so I take a look. It’s my personality - it’s not expected of me in any way, and I don’t do it to alleviate Monday morning stress. I don’t have Monday morning stress. I actually like a big drop off emails and surprises to get my teeth into! I often think about work outside of my hours. Not through stress, just I like my job and will think of something I want to do, and jot it in my notes. In return, when it was pissing down with rain yesterday, no-one I work with would have batted an eyelid at me losing 45 mins of the day doing an unplanned school pick up.

Do what you want… just don’t expect anyone to manage themselves your way.

@genuinelyaskingforafriend
You can still do a good job and not think of work outside of working hours. Being constantly available makes the rest of your team look bad.

Yanbu. I do this when it's been hectic and I worry I've missed something. I stress about work far less now I can have a 5 min peek from home.

It’s very personal. I love my work and find it relaxing (and I am freelance so nobody is paying me for particular hours) and am low-anxiety and good at compartmentalising. For different kinds of people it wouldn’t feel the same.

I occasionally do it to stay on top of my workload, but generally I think it’s really important to have a complete break from work. I put boundaries in place and tell my team to do the same. I am a manager and never send emails to my team late in the evening or during the weekends. If I see someone in my team sending emails late at night, I will ask them about it as I don’t think it’s good practise.

I read my emails because I don’t want my anxiety to appear on the way to work on Monday. I never reply.

I do this too. I also check them on my day off and on holiday. I like my job and down feel the need for downtime from it. I also like to work flexibly and part of that involves dealing with things when they come in so I can, eg, take an hour off during the week to run an errand. Different personalities suit different things though. I've done it for the last 10 years or so and it's never been an issue.

Depends on your job - I work in a social work field - opening a work email on my day off may then mean I spend my day of firefighting and trying to sort things out - if my out of office is on - every single person knows I won't respond and can go to my boss if it's urgent - much less stress for me.

IMO feeling better for compulsively checking emails is like scratching an itch rather than getting rid of the cause of the discomfort. The encroachment of work into private time is hugely negative. I don't access emails out of hours and wouldn't stay in a job that had me dreading Monday morning.

Don't get me wrong I do it sometimes, like if I've been on holiday for a week or two I would check my emails the night before I return to work so I can plan my day but generally I think it's a false premise. Like on one hand yes you initially feel more in control, but equally it takes time away from the actual life stuff that you want to be present for and means that you aren't getting a full and complete break from work. It also sets the precedent that you'll be able to read and receive emails when you're on leave which isn't a fair expectation on you or the rest of your team. Plus I know I've done the check coming back from leave and found an email I wish I hadn't read until the next morning and I spent my last night off dreading the return to work or worrying about it because I couldn't deal with it immediately.

I check emails while I'm away because I like to know what's in the week ahead of me: just the practicalities of "want to be in the office on Friday, warn DH to do school run, can WFH Tuesday and hence book a haircut/plumber then, team lunch out on Monday, don't bring in a lunchbox".

I like to delete the irrelevant emails as I go so I've got a clean set of important things to focus on when I get in.

I'm conscientious and professional and keep work in work time as far as possible. I prioritise family and myself in non-working hours.

I agree. It’s a control thing, I check mine in the evening and at weekends.
I’ve been on holiday for two weeks and haven’t checked any, however tomorrow I’ll log on, clear a lot of ones I don’t need etc and see what is there. It’ll take about two hours but I’ll feel so much better as otherwise I’ll have the Sunday afternoon fear come 4pm. If I check my emails I know I’ll be able to relax and enjoy Sunday afternoon/evening before going back to work on Monday.

Reading the thread is very interesting - a repeated theme is people dread their emails on Monday so give up family time to do them early. This is a very negative state of affairs and just a reflection of how shit work has become.

I'm glad it works for you OP, but i'm either in work or in home mode.
i'll pick up emails on my NWD or the weekend if I know something important is happening, but otherwise it keeps me in a state of stress to constantly be checking what is happening.

I do the same OP and it works for me - I never reply or actually do any work, but always have a quick look every now and then.

Are people giving up family time? For me it’s generally a scroll through on my phone while also watching something on Netflix after DC bedtime. No loss of time with DC or DH. I’m not sure there are many people here who’ve said they’re ignoring their families or missing out on anything because they’re checking their emails.

Life has changed. It's not at all unusual to do this & if it helps you that's a good thing. Ignore the doom-mongers.

Totally agree OP.

Years ago, I had an email app and I got notifications when I got a new email. An unpleasant email from my boss one Saturday ruined a day out for me, so I deleted the app. I was, however, checking my email over weekends until recently, but an unpleasant email upset me one Friday evening and I felt it hanging over my head all weekend. Since then, I've just stopped checking email on evenings and weekends, and it feels really liberating. I think it's healthier not to check. That said, do what works for you!

Thoughts yes. Monday morning dread, no.

Having them on my phone was not good for me. But checking my laptop on a Sunday evening sometimes helps, as I know what's there for me monday. I've got a lot better at switching off in some ways, but then I dream about work instead 🤣

Me too, i check all the time. I like a heads up for issues and I also have no issues with sending a quick response to something rather than having it wait till the next day and join the queue of real work I’m trying to do. I wouldn’t do it for minimum wage though.
it also helps having email and chat on your phone for flex - if I go for a coffee or waiting at the doctors I can basically keep working so I get a break or fit my life things into my work day. It’s a huge win for me.

I've gone the opposite way and switched off my work email alerts over the weekend and out of work hours generally
If it's waiting for me on Monday or after a week off, so be it, but at least I'm not not working loads of extra hours dealing with work in my time