More than 75% of full-time employees in the US receive and respond to work-related emails outside of work time.  Although most of us see this as an annoying but necessary part of work, there is ongoing debate about whether workers should be electronically available 24/7.  Some companies believe this causes unnecessary stress, and have taken steps to reduce or even prohibit the use of email outside of normal work hours.  On the other hand, a recent Gallup poll found that workers liked the ability to handle work matters outside of “normal” hours, as this flexibility helped them balance work and non-work responsibilities more effectively.

A recent study gives managers some insight.  It turns out that not all email is created equal.  In a 2015 study*, a team of researchers asked workers to keep daily notes of the email they received and how they responded to it.  Their findings give managers the following guidelines:

1-Send work-related requests during work hours

Email from supervisors caused more stress than those from colleagues or customers.  An email from the boss carries an implied command to respond, even when the manager specifically said he/she did not need a reply right away.  Participants in this study felt more anger and stress after receiving messages from their superiors if the message related to work the employee needed to do or information the employee needed to provide.  Even a “think about this Monday” message was met with negative emotion.

2-Send thank you/praise emails outside of work hours

Participants in the study had their most positive emotional responses to emails from supervisors that contained thanks and praise.  When employees got an email from the boss outside of work that expressed thanks and encouragement, the workers felt more engaged and ultimately less stressed than they were before receiving the message.

Many managers find themselves using non-work time to craft email requests for subordinates.  If this is your practice, continue it – but ask yourself if hitting “send” on that email when you’re done is a good idea.  Employees will generally find it less stressful to receive those emails during work hours – so take advantage of your email program features that allow you to store items and send them at a more appropriate time.  Remember:  in this study, employee levels of stress increased even if the email did not request them to do the work right  away. 

On the other hand, if you want the strongest emotional reaction to electronic messages of encouragement or thanks, send them during non-work hours. Your employees will reap maximum emotional benefit from those notes – including positive feelings toward work and reduced stress – if they receive them unexpectedly outside of work.

*Butts, M. M., Becker, W. J., & Roswell, W. R. (2015).  Hot buttons and time sinks: The effects of electronic communication during nonwork time on emotions and work-nonwork conflict.  Academy of Management Journal, 58, 763-788.