Tech Time Out Please!
Julia Davies
Digital tools have transformed modern work, helping teams collaborate faster and achieve more. Yet the same technology designed to make work easier is also quietly overwhelming employees. Constant notifications, emails, and alerts have blurred the boundaries between work and rest, contributing to a growing issue: digital burnout.
Research highlights the scale of the problem. Microsoft’s Work Trend Index (2025) reports that employees now receive hundreds of emails and notifications each day, resulting in around 275 daily interruptions. While each interruption seems minor, the cumulative effect is significant. Studies from the University of California, Irvine, show it can take more than 20 minutes to refocus after a distraction, meaning hours of productive time are lost to constant context-switching. Beyond productivity, the human impact is profound, with continuous connectivity driving stress, mental fatigue, and the sense that work never truly ends. Deloitte estimates that poor mental health costs UK employers £51 billion annually, much of it due to digital presenteeism—being online but mentally depleted.
This is why digital wellbeing is becoming a critical part of workplace culture. Technology itself isn’t the problem; it’s how organisations manage it. Supporting digital wellbeing means helping employees use technology intentionally rather than reactively. Practical strategies include setting norms around response times, creating protected focus time, encouraging screen-free breaks, and setting boundaries around out-of-hours communication. These actions shift culture toward valuing focus, rest, and human connection.
Techtimeout Tuesday, held on 2 December 2025 and supported by Mental Health First Aid England, encourages workplaces to take intentional time away from screens. By stepping back—even briefly—staff can reflect on how technology affects their wellbeing and reconnect with what matters.
Ultimately, improving digital wellbeing isn’t just about reducing screen time. It’s about designing healthier, more sustainable ways of working so people can genuinely thrive.
Research highlights the scale of the problem. Microsoft’s Work Trend Index (2025) reports that employees now receive hundreds of emails and notifications each day, resulting in around 275 daily interruptions. While each interruption seems minor, the cumulative effect is significant. Studies from the University of California, Irvine, show it can take more than 20 minutes to refocus after a distraction, meaning hours of productive time are lost to constant context-switching. Beyond productivity, the human impact is profound, with continuous connectivity driving stress, mental fatigue, and the sense that work never truly ends. Deloitte estimates that poor mental health costs UK employers £51 billion annually, much of it due to digital presenteeism—being online but mentally depleted.
This is why digital wellbeing is becoming a critical part of workplace culture. Technology itself isn’t the problem; it’s how organisations manage it. Supporting digital wellbeing means helping employees use technology intentionally rather than reactively. Practical strategies include setting norms around response times, creating protected focus time, encouraging screen-free breaks, and setting boundaries around out-of-hours communication. These actions shift culture toward valuing focus, rest, and human connection.
Techtimeout Tuesday, held on 2 December 2025 and supported by Mental Health First Aid England, encourages workplaces to take intentional time away from screens. By stepping back—even briefly—staff can reflect on how technology affects their wellbeing and reconnect with what matters.
Ultimately, improving digital wellbeing isn’t just about reducing screen time. It’s about designing healthier, more sustainable ways of working so people can genuinely thrive.