A new study has found that today’s workforce is increasingly in a struggle to manage screen time. Photo: File.
Screen time has become an essential part of most office work, with increasing reports of deteriorating eye health. Dan Schawbel has suggestions for how employers can counter this growing problem.
In today’s digital workplace, people are on their screens more than ever before. Between computers, tablets, phones and TVs, many of us are bombarded for hours each day, whether at work or at home.
A new study from VSP Vision Care and my company, Workplace Intelligence, has found that today’s workforce is increasingly struggling to manage screen time. On average, employees are spending more than 96 hours on their screens every week, estimating that work accounts for about one-third of that time.
This translates to four full days of screen time each week, or 208 days a year, a staggering number that reflects how important screens have become to our daily functioning.
The rise of remote work has been a major driver of this trend. Fully remote and hybrid employees report they spend more than seven hours on screens while working, compared with just 5.5 hours for on-site workers.
While hybrid and remote work offer greater flexibility and work-life balance, these employees tend to rely more on video calls and other forms of web-based communication.
Hybrid workers especially seem to be struggling with the work-life boundary. An alarming 78 per cent of hybrid workers say their organisations expect them to put in longer hours. Half of hybrid workers also report they’re likely to work while on vacation, signalling that for these employees, it’s especially challenging to be ‘’off the clock’’.
Younger employees are also much more likely to work longer hours, including 82 per cent of Gen Z and 78 per cent of Millennial workers. Most concerning is that 54 per cent of Gen Z employees report that working longer hours has worsened their eye health, underscoring the importance of promoting better work-life balance for those entering the workforce.
Digging deeper, employees also emphasised the negative impacts of deteriorating eye health. Overall, 50 per cent shared that they’re struggling with at least one eye issue, with the top three being blurred vision, eye strain, and dry/itchy eyes – all potential results of excessive screen time.
The good news is most employers recognise the importance of setting boundaries that help mitigate eye strain. About half of HR leaders say their organisations prohibit replying to emails after office hours or on weekends. However, only two in three HR leaders report that their organisations currently offer vision benefits, while nine out of 10 employees want their companies to do so.
What can employers do to help employees reduce eye strain while keeping up in today’s digital age?
Encourage breaks: This is one of the most important steps that employees can take to help manage their eye strain.
Employees should be encouraged to follow the 20-20-20 rule, which recommends that for every 20 minutes spent looking at a screen, you should take a 20-second break and focus your eyes on something at least six metres away.
Employers can institute 20-20-20 reminder systems, such as desktop notifications or scheduling software, and provide screen-free spaces where employees can take longer breaks.
Normalise offline and phone meetings: In the post-pandemic workplace, video conferencing has become a default meeting format. While video calls allow workers to connect outside the office, they also lead to fatigue that not only worsens eye strain, but affects mental and heart health as well.
Instead of relying solely on video conferencing, encourage your on-site team members to hold meetings in person when possible, setting up phone conferencing for those out of the office.
Promote better work-life balance: Establish clear expectations for your workers and make sure their workloads are realistic and manageable.
For hybrid workers especially, it’s crucial to check in regularly to discuss workload, progress and any challenges they might be having when completing their work.
For Gen Z workers, who are new to the workforce, be sure to lead by example, demonstrating healthy work habits and respecting work-life boundaries.
Provide vision benefits: According to our survey, employees agree that regular vision care can improve overall health (98 per cent) and increase productivity (86 per cent), but just 55 per cent reported that they get an annual eye examination.
By ensuring your employees have access to regular eye tests and proper prescription eyewear (including blue light-filtering lenses), you can help them integrate vision care into their regular health screenings.
To help employees meaningfully and consistently address digital eye strain, HR leaders should consider the unique needs of their workforce. Check in with your workers about the ways that too much screen time might be affecting them and find out what’s keeping them from managing this issue.
Hybrid workers and younger employees are more likely to work longer hours, struggle with work-life balance, and shoulder heavy workloads, making them more vulnerable to eye health impacts.
All employees will benefit when workplace leaders take the above steps, particularly as we continue to build a world of technological innovation and reliance.
In addressing the key factors that lead to excessive screen time, HR leaders can set their employees up for better health overall – and set their organisations up to thrive.
Dan Schawbel is a bestselling author and managing partner of Workplace Intelligence, a research and advisory firm helping HR adapt to trends, drive performance and prepare for the future. This article is part of his Workplace Intelligence Weekly series.
