Overview

• Microsoft’s Work Trend Index shows off-hour chats rose 15% year over year and late-night meetings increased by 16%.
• Telemetry reveals a ‘triple-peak’ pattern with spikes in email at 6 a.m., Teams notifications mid-morning and renewed inbox checks after 10 p.m.
• Many companies pressure employees to stay online through app metrics even as they issue wellbeing advice, creating a cultural conflict over disconnecting.
• Stanford studies confirm productivity per hour plunges beyond 50 weekly hours and WHO data links 55-plus hours to higher stroke and heart disease risks.
• Occupational psychologists urge multi-level boundary protocols—quiet hours, team communication charters and outcome-based metrics—to curb nonstop digital intrusions.