Research has shown that being required to check work emails during the off-hours can be harmful to our mental health, but a new study has posited that the opposite, being banned from checking office emails, can also be harmful, according to MarketWatch. The study, which came from the University of Sussex and was published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, surveyed 341 participants on their work email activities and conducted interviews with 28 others. It found that people generally check work emails in the off-hours due to four reasons: showing concern for a co-worker, getting their work done effectively, preserving their own well-being and having control over their work. If employees are checking email to get work done effectively, then banning email access outside of work hours, if they are already prone to anxiety, can have a deleterious effect on their well-being, presumably because they are worried they won’t be able to get all their work done in time. 

Other research, however, has shown that the always-on culture of instant communication can be its own mental health hazard, which has prompted certain companies to discourage working off the clock for the sake of their own workers. It’s been found in other research that expectations to answer work communications during non-work hours negatively affect people’s family life, reduce job satisfaction, make it more likely people will quit, and can contribute to depression and anxiety. 

The University of Sussex study concluded that rather than imposing a one-size-fits-all solution, employers should instead allow employees to deal with email in the way that suits their personality and their goal priorities.