Statistics show the average person checks their phone 96 times a day and that in 2022, people spend an average of six hours and 53 minutes online each day - around 40 per cent of their waking life.
But employees across Shropshire stepped away from their tech and towards digital wellbeing as part of annual awareness day - techtimeout Tuesday - which was developed by a county businesswoman.
Stephanie Henson launched techtimeout, a digital wellbeing organisation, in 2020, along with techtimeout Tuesday, a global awareness day encouraging teams to enjoy time away from devices.
The day takes place after Black Friday and Cyber Monday and having so many local businesses participate could not have come at a better time according to Stephanie, considering current changes of the working world.
“Digital wellbeing is a key topic for workplace culture, particularly with the rise in fully-remote and hybrid teams - post-pandemic, research says 60 per cent of businesses are opting for a hybrid work model. We’re seeing a heavier reliance on technology than ever before,” she said.
“techtimeout Tuesday aims to promote healthy relationships with tech, and to know businesses in our county see that as a priority is really reassuring.
“Screen time is higher for many people after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which is why techtimeout Tuesday is the day after those events finish. It’s important for people to consider the impact increased screen time has on their physical and mental wellbeing.”
The latest techtimeout Tuesday was the biggest yet and businesses in Shropshire sat alongside hundreds of organisations taking a techtimeout across the UK and around the world.
Throughout the day, businesses in Shropshire enjoyed various tech-free activities.
“Businesses went walking, baked, read, and had a tech-free lunch. We even saw some get into the festive spirit by Christmas shopping or decorating their offices!”
Stephanie hopes techtimeout Tuesday will return this year with even more support from businesses across Shropshire.
“I’d love for our fourth techtimeout Tuesday to be bigger and better than ever. Businesses should be thinking about digital wellbeing in the workplace, and we’d love for them to encourage tech-free time all year round.
“We’ll be holding a heavy focus on digital distractions in 2023. Whether at work or not, we’re constantly receiving notifications of some kind and it’s having a negative effect on our stress levels and performance at work.
“techtimeout has found productivity, creativity and employee morale to be improved when teams have regular screen breaks, particularly if they’ve actually left their desk or office. We want businesses to understand these benefits and promote healthy relationships with technology, rather than assuming ‘time-at-computer equals productivity’.”
Throughout the year, techtimeout hosts digital wellbeing training for businesses and individual team members. Find out more at www.techtimeout.co.uk
