“Digital stress”, “techno stress”, “info obesity”… The psychological tensions linked to digital technology are now designated by several terms. Here’s how to fight this new phenomenon at work.
“We need to be aware of this new problem, it is an emerging risk”. During a press conference, the doctor William Dab, professor holder of the Hygiene and Safety chair of the Cnam (National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts), gave his precious advice to fight against the digital stress now generated by many professions.
Think critically about our business
To find serenity on a daily basis, the doctor recommends:
– restrict digital information to that which is really essential to work (for example by blocking advertisements or unsubscribing from certain newsletters).
– Limit sources of information to those that are reliable.
– Keep daily time ranges without any screens.
– Do not necessarily respond immediately to emails and messages that are not urgent.
– Classify and organize the digital information that we receive.
– Practice regular physical and relaxing activities.
“Basically, we have to think critically about our business so that we don’t let ourselves be possessed by digital stress. We have to somehow learn to master digital tools so that they don’t master us”summarizes William Dab.
Company policy and social dialogue
At a more societal level, the doctor believes that it is up to managers to channel the digital stress of employees, in particular by setting clear priorities and objectives. “In my opinion, all this must be framed by a company policy and be the subject of social dialogue”, adds the scientist. “We should also acquire new measurement tools to better assess the impact of digital technology on workers”, he continues.
Today in France, 40% of employees receive more than 100 emails per day, and 31% send them after 8 p.m. more than 50 evenings per year (this is an average of 117 evenings reconnected per year for managers, Ed. ), knowing that more than 50% emails received during the day get a response in less than an hour. For this reason, half of the workers spend more than two hours a day dealing with emails, which is often not included in job descriptions and is added to the messages received by chat in parallel (Slack, WhatsApp, etc.). In the end, only 42% of French employees now manage to keep a continuous hour of full concentration during their working day.
A real addiction
“These figures show, in my opinion, that digital technology can become a real addiction for some, the insidious installation and development of which generate significant stress”, analysis William Dab. “The overload of digital information can indeed quickly give the feeling of being overwhelmed, which generates anxiety. Digital tools can also, when they take up too much space, create an encroachment of work on private life , thus causing family tensions, again a source of anxiety”, continues William Dab. “However, if there are still only a few studies concerning the impact of digital stress on human beings, we know very well the deleterious effects of stress on health”, reminds the scientist.
Whether digital or not, stress degrades mental health and increases cardiovascular or metabolic risks, which are aggravated by screen-related sedentary lifestyle. Intense and prolonged tension also has immune effects, generating a lower defense against infections. “Anxiety also decreases intellectual performance”, adds William Dab, before concluding all the same: “Digital tools have many advantages. None of them can therefore be criticized in themselves, it is the uses that we make of them”.
