Digital technology meant to free us from the shackles of the traditional office has turned into an omnipresent but intangible instrument of control without timetables or frontiers. Smartphones, computers and broadband connections, initially hailed as the bringers of flexibility and freedom, have more and more dispersed the boundary between work life and private life, creating a new form of digital slavery that makes us irremissibly hooked on work. This shift,
particularly in the post-pandemic scenario, compels us to ask whether the quality of our lives and the genuine sense of technological advancement at work are worth the cost. The revolution in the digital age has presented us with an image of the future when work will be made to bend according to our needs and not vice versa.
Living in a constant pressure
We could envision fruitful days in a park, at a beach or in the comfort of our homes. Reality, however, has been otherwise. The same technology that promised to liberate us has ended up trapping us in a cycle of constant on-call, with work email encroaching on nights, office chatter cutting into weekends and impromptu video sessions even on holidays. This perpetual state of being has given rise to a new social phobia: the anxiety of missing a reply, appearing less dedicated than colleagues, and missing critical opportunities. This is a constant pressure that managers never enforce overtly but derives from an internalisation of the felt expectations of modern working life. Most professionals confess to checking their email in bed, and the minute they wake up as part of a daily ritual that perfectly describes this new working situation.
The hidden price of hyper-connectedness
The effects of this “always on” condition manifest themselves at different levels. On a physiological level, the constant exposure to screens and the impossibility of completely disconnecting are altering our circadian rhythms and sleep quality. The psychological consequences are even more profound: increased stress levels, concentration difficulties and an increasing incidence of professional burnout. According to recent studies, the feeling of always having to be on call is becoming one of the main causes of emotional exhaustion among workers. The most bitter paradox is that this hyper-connectedness does not necessarily translate into higher productivity. On the contrary, the fragmentation of attention caused by the constant stream of digital interruptions undermines our ability to engage in “deep work”, the deep, concentrated work that generates real value and innovation. We spend our days responding to external stimuli in an illusion of efficiency that distances us from meaningful results.
We are eroding our lives
The social cost of this erosion of work-life boundaries is equally worrying. Deteriorated family relationships, lack of emotional presence in moments of sharing, reduced time devoted to regenerating activities such as hobbies, sports or simple rest. The feeling of being perpetually “on call” prevents the mental detachment needed to recharge one’s energy and cultivate the non-professional aspects of one’s identity. In response to this scenario, some European countries have started to introduce “right to disconnect” legislation. France has been a pioneer in this area, followed by Spain, Belgium and Italy with legislation that, albeit with different approaches, aims to guarantee periods of legitimate disconnection from corporate devices.
These initiatives represent institutional recognition of a systemic problem, but their effectiveness depends on a deeper cultural change. The most promising approach seems to be one that combines regulatory interventions with a rethinking of business practices. Some organisations are experimenting with innovative policies: email servers that automatically block communications after a certain time, incentives for employees who respect rest time, and specific training on managing digital boundaries. These measures represent an attempt to re-establish a healthy balance between connection and disconnection.
Regaining control of technology
At the individual level, regaining sovereignty over one’s digital time requires awareness and concrete strategies. Setting defined schedules to control work communications, creating physical and temporal spaces completely free of technology, and making one’s boundaries explicit to colleagues are all steps towards a healthier relationship with digital devices. It is not about rejecting the flexibility offered by technology but about managing it so that it serves our interests instead of dominating us.
It is also crucial to recognise that true professional efficiency does not come from constant availability but from the quality of work done at times of full concentration. Paradoxically, indulging in periods of complete disconnection can lead to better performance when one is at work. This principle, supported by growing scientific evidence, challenges the “always on” culture that has spread in many professional circles. The real challenge for the future of work is, therefore, not to further increase our connectivity but to develop a new digital wisdom that allows us to harness the benefits of technology without suffering its toxic aspects.
Switch of culture
A wisdom that recognises the vital importance of disconnection, rest and unstructured time for creativity and well-being. Only in this way will we be able to transform digital tools from potential leashes into genuine instruments of liberation, finally realising the promise of emancipation that the digital revolution gave us a glimpse of. In this evolution, the role of business leaders is crucial. Managers’ behaviours become implicitly approved models: a manager who sends emails at midnight is communicating that that is the expected norm. Instead, it is necessary to foster a culture that explicitly values respect for personal boundaries and that measures results, not hours of connection. Only with this cultural change, supported by appropriate regulations and conscious business practices, can we transform technology from a pervasive control tool to a true ally of a sustainable and fulfilling working life.
