A moment of true disconnection

Work structures much of our daily practice. It gives us a social network, a stable salary and a predictable routine. Although it is a privilege to work from home, it is not exactly easy during a global pandemic like the one we are experiencing due to COVID-19.

Although for some workers teleworking is not a new situation, for others it is, considering that they have not worked from home at any stage of their lives. This may represent an opportunity for the future but also carries some risks.

Some workers may find themselves absorbed by the constant flow of work, implying that many of them feel that they are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Pre-pandemic studies carried out with this type of workers show that people who telecommute tend to spend more time working from home than colleagues who do not.

This situation can lead to an increase in the levels of psychosocial risks such as Techno-stress.

Techno-stress can be defined as “a negative psychological state related to the use -or threat of future use- of ICT. This state is conditioned by the perception of a mismatch between the demands and the resources related to the use of ICTs, which leads to a high level of unpleasant psychophysiological activation and the development of negative attitudes towards ICTs”  (Salanova, 2003). However, this definition only includes one aspect of the concept which is called techno-anxiety. This is the best known type of techno-stress. The person experiences high levels of unpleasant physiological activation and feels tension and discomfort from the present or future use of some type of ICT. Anxiety itself leads to experiencing skeptical attitudes regarding the use of technologies and, in turn, negative thoughts about one’s ability and competence with ICTs. On the other hand, technology fatigue is characterized by feelings of tiredness and mental and cognitive exhaustion due to the use of technologies, also complemented by skeptical attitudes and beliefs of ineffectiveness with the use of ICTs. The symptomatology is: lack of competence to structure and assimilate the new information derived from the use of the internet, which will suppose the consequent appearance of mental fatigue. Finally, techno-addiction is the specific techno-stress which derives from the uncontrollable compulsion to use ICT “anytime, anywhere” and to use them for long periods of time. Subjects end up becoming “dependent” on technology, this being the axis on which their lives are structured (Gil-Monte, 2014).

In order not to increase the levels of any of these forms of techno-stress, workers must follow a series of recommendations about their working hours and their leisure time.

Thus, even while at home, the worker needs to program the same breaks that they would take under normal circumstances, in their usual place of work, so that they can maintain a productive work rhythm. This is an important element considering that in the usual workplace interaction with colleagues or service users is usually face-to-face, however teleworking can mean that workers feel more tired simply because it is more difficult to differentiate one time from the other and, on many occasions, this implies having constant work meetings in front of a screen, for example. For this reason, breaks are very necessary.

A strategy to prevent this from happening is to comply with the usual work schedule that is carried out at the workplace, taking into account that, when you work from an office, there is a natural start and end time. Considering this, it is essential to have limits and similar routines when working from home.

In this case, leaders play a fundamental role. The objectives must be clear to the workers and they can create daily goals for the tasks to be accomplished. Obtaining positive feedback from their superiors will motivate them to do their work. It is also recommended to stop checking the messages in the different applications as well as not reading the email and everything that may be related to work when your workday ends.

The stress generated by the pandemic can make it difficult for the moments without work to be relaxed moments. It is essential to pay attention to the news right now, but it is also crucial to disconnect from it. In this case, it is recommended to create and enjoy moments destined to watch a series, a movie, read a book or, if possible, do sports at home, etc. News-free moments.

Make it a moment of true disconnection.

Gil-Monte, P.R. (2014). El diseño del trabajo: tareas, puestos, horarios y roles laborales. En P.R. Gil-Monte (Coord.), Manual de Psicosociología Aplicada al trabajo y a la prevención de los riesgos laborales (pp. 111-136). Madrid: Pirámide.

Salanova, M. (2003). Trabajando con tecnologías y afrontando el tecnoestrés: el rol de las creencias de eficacia. Revista de Psicología del Trabajo y de las Organizaciones, 19, 225-247.

Hugo Figueiredo-Ferraz

Director of Master’s degree in Occupational Health and Safety

Valencia International University (VIU)

Director del Máster Universitario en Prevención de Riesgos Laborales

VIU – Universidad Internacional de Valencia

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