Gen Z’s dilemma: It’s your day off, but you’re still at work... online

Two months ago, I stuffed my belongings into a hiking bag and set out to check off a bucket list item: becoming a certified diver.

The gruelling four-day course culminated in a boat dive off the coast of Tioman. Our team of rookie divers descended into the ocean, navigating sloping coral reefs reminiscent of sprawling forests. We watched, enraptured, as a pair of critically endangered hawksbill turtles passed nearby, stopping to munch on sea sponges with their beak-like mouths.

As we piled back onto the boat, I excitedly ran to grab my phone, hoping to take a picture to commemorate the moment.

It was then, in a gently rocking boat surrounded by a wide expanse of blue sea, that I felt a buzz from my device – a notification from work. At that point, it struck me how we’re somehow always tethered to our jobs because of our devices.

Why it is so hard to switch off

Like many of my fellow Gen Zs – those born between 1997 and 2012 – I am a digital native. We grew up in a time when technology was rapidly transforming to play an increasingly pervasive role in everyday life.

Gen Zs spend an average of six hours and 27 minutes glued to our phones each day – more than any other generation, a 2024 report by American health data management firm Harmony Healthcare IT found.

Despite being digital natives, many Gen Zers value autonomy and work-life balance. Aside from wanting to excel in our careers, we also hope to pursue interests outside of work, and have a deep respect for our personal well-being.

Yet, I can’t help but wonder how this digital proficiency and the demands of our careers have blurred the lines between work and leisure, and eroded our ability to seek out true rest and attain the work-life balance we prize so highly.

A friend working as a product manager told me how technology has encroached upon her days of rest, as we caught up over acai and smoothie bowls. She sometimes receives work e-mails over the weekend when she is off, yet struggles to switch off her notifications. 

She said: “If I switch them off, I get nervous and wonder if my boss has sent anything – it just eats you out from the inside.

“And with technology being so prevalent, it’s like you are expected to reply.”

Dr Chew Han Ei, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said this is part of a larger cultural shift in tech-forward Singapore, where the spaces we inhabit for recreation and work are becoming less defined. Our mobile phones have become the workplace in our pockets. By taking them with us wherever we go, boundaries between personal and professional time start to disintegrate.

Though it could seem innocuous in the short term, experts are of the view that dwelling on work matters outside office hours may impede our ability to get the quality rest that we need. Being connected all the time can put us in a state of constant alertness for the next notification, heightening anxiety levels, said Ms Ng Jing Xuan, clinical psychologist and founder of Open Journey Psychology Clinic.

With our minds trapped in work mode, it can be difficult to be fully present while engaging in leisure activities or spending time with loved ones. This means we don’t feel as rejuvenated as we should be, causing stress to build up and eventually leading to burnout, Ms Ng added.

For Gen Zers, who are just starting their careers, the desire to prove themselves at work may also get in the way of attaining rest.

To live up to expectations of swiftly replying to our bosses and co-workers, we hold our phones close – for fear that delayed responses could be construed as disinterest.

In my friend’s words: “If you’re young, you have to put in more effort. You are seen to have the time and energy to do so due to the lack of other priorities – like kids or family.”

A larger societal trend?

The spillover of work into leisure hours also relates to societal and workplace norms.

While employee-boss conversations about work-life balance are essential, in the Asian context, Dr Chew said that there is a theory explaining why they sometimes don’t take place: power distance.

Many Asian countries rank highly on the Power Distance Index, which was first developed by Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofstede. This means that respect for authority and hierarchical structures are more intrinsic in Asian organisational culture.

As such, workers in Asian societies may find it more difficult to broach tough conversations about boundaries for after-work communication with their bosses.

But based on some of the national conversations on the importance of work-life balance, it seems like things are changing for the better.

A friend’s experience was heartening to hear. In her previous role, she often worked with international teams, which mandated cross-border calls that go on late into the night. Hence, her boss often told the team to log off a few hours earlier, so they could catch some rest before hopping on twilight calls. Such thoughtful gestures matter.

Taking back control

Regardless of your stage of life and line of work, some strategies can help workers unplug. It requires digging deeper into our devices. Instead of sticking to the default settings, we can customise them to receive notifications from different apps only when we wish to.

One friend shared how she uses her iPhone’s focus modes – work, personal and sleep – to compartmentalise her day. When in work mode, notifications from Telegram and other personal applications are muted. After office hours, her device switches to personal mode, and notifications from Microsoft Teams, Outlook and other work applications are blocked. At 9pm, sleep mode kicks in.

Beyond this, consider establishing technology-free spaces at home. This could mean placing laptops and mobile phones in the living room before going to bed.

Digital detox vacations, where workers eschew their devices for a meditation retreat or a hike up a mountain, could also help us attain restorative rest.

Still, the biggest shift required is a mental one. Dr Natalie Games, a clinical psychologist at Alliance Counselling, said it’s about understanding that rest is allowed and important, and that it’s up to us to tell ourselves that.

So that’s exactly what I did on the boat.

After swiftly attending to the message from work, I decided to put my phone away and rejoin my friends on the deck. And there we sat, basking in the sun and one another’s company – our laughter drowning out the crashing of the ocean’s waves.