Irish workers are turning into 'zombies' as they find it increasingly difficult to ‘switch off’ from work, new research has found.

A survey has found well over half, 59%, of Irish professionals are struggling to leave the office behind.

For most employees, the law on working time and breaks is set out in the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997.

But the research from recruitment firm Robert Walters found many workers were struggling to concentrate at work.

Suzanne Feeney, Country Manager at Robert Walters comments: “Not being able to fully ‘switch off’ from work can result in a variety of negative side effects for professionals.

"Whilst Irish professionals do have the legal right to disconnect, doesn’t mean they are able to in practice.

“Excessive workloads, difficult deadlines, and constant monitoring from managers can prevent professionals from being able to fully ‘switch off’ from work.

"This could quickly lead to them grappling with diminished concentration and motivation – even resulting in declining levels of productivity and engagement.”

More than one in four workers, 27%, admitted not being able to completely log-off from work has directly resulted in them losing sleep.

A further quarter said they were unable to relax or reset themselves for the next day.

“Missing out on hours of sleep, being incapable of fully relaxing as well as experiencing increased stress or anxiety can pose a huge threat to a professional’s ability to work, and even carry out regular tasks and activities – not to mention, maintaining a satisfactory work-life balance," said Feeney.

The authors of the report said a key trigger of not being able to switch-off from work is the mounting pressure on professionals to be ‘always available’.

Two thirds, 66%, of Irish professionals across all professional services industries said that this pressure has increased over the past 12 months.

More than half, 54%, admitted to checking-in on work-related emails or calls when not in the office and a further fifth said that their employer ‘frequently’ contacts them outside of office hours.

“Over recent years the boom of workplace tech like Teams and Slack has meant that teams can be more easily tracked and contacted by their managers, whilst the rise of hybrid/remote working has caused professionals to literally bring work home with them," explained Feeney.

“An ‘always online’ workplace culture contributes to the blurring of lines between office hours and personal time as well as an increasingly unrealistic expectation for greater availability.

"This is something that if left unchecked can rapidly lead to increased cases of burnout across workforces,” she added.

In a sign of the times the research found 89% of Irish employers have hybrid-working options, while a further 53% have the option of flexible working hours.

However, there is some variation between industries – for example, professionals working in financial services (96%) and technology (87%) are more likely to have hybrid-working options than engineering (64%) and procurement (68%) professionals.

Whilst professionals in sales, marketing & comms are 26% more likely to have flexible working hours than those in tax, legal & compliance (70% vs. 44%).

"Professionals in traditionally on-site roles like engineering, procurement, and supply chain often have a clear boundary between work and personal life – being able to 'clock off' when they finish for the day," said Feeney.

“This clearly defined work-life balance is something that may be lost when professionals are given the flexibility to work from home. With professionals in sectors like financial services, tech, or general management more likely to bring work home with them 2-3 days out of the week.”

When asked about what employers can do to help them to switch off, over half of Irish professionals suggested their employers could better monitor workloads, to ensure they aren’t being overstretched or taking on too much.

Further strategies which suggested were setting realistic deadlines, 25%, and boosting wellbeing initiatives, 20%.

“Employers who verge on creating a ‘zombie workforce’ also put employee productivity, engagement and satisfaction levels on the line. This could directly lead to a rise in cases of absenteeism throughout their organisation," warned Feeney.

“Employers must address this issue head on; by ensuring they are setting a solid foundation of manageable workloads and achievable deadlines, along with clear boundaries between work and personal time.

"Once this groundwork is set, further enhancements can be provided like improving wellbeing incentives.”