“Always On”: 81% of employees stay connected to work during time off, fuelling digital anxiety

A new Kaspersky survey undertaken in the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region reveals that digital anxiety is becoming a defining feature of modern work culture, as employees don’t disconnect even during their free time and vacations.

According to the findings, 81% of respondents from South Africa keep an eye on work tasks outside working hours. An overwhelming 79% reply to all work-related messages in instant messaging apps, while 85% check work emails during their time off – and 79% admit they are responding to work emails while on vacation or in their personal time.

The pressure to remain constantly available is contributing to heightened stress levels in the workplace. Other sources of stress include work issues, for example, 47% of local respondents experience anxiety after accidentally sending a random message to a work chat. Interestingly, not all digital mishaps are perceived equally: 37% report that they take it calmly when they send an unfinished email, proving that some mistakes are considered less damaging than others.

Blurred boundaries between professional and personal life, combined with instant communication tools, are intensifying feelings of constant monitoring and fear of making digital errors. More than a third (42%) of respondents from South Africa say they feel extremely uncomfortable or even scared if their boss notices them scrolling through social media at work instead of working. The “always-on” culture may undermine employee well-being, increase burnout risks, and reduce overall productivity in the long term.

“Digital anxiety doesn’t just affect employee well-being – it can also increase cybersecurity risks for organisations. When people feel constant pressure to respond immediately to messages and emails, they are more likely to act impulsively, without carefully verifying links, attachments, or sender identities. This urgency can make employees more vulnerable to phishing, and other scams using social engineering techniques,” comments Brandon Muller, Technical Expert at Kaspersky.

Kaspersky recommends employees to follow the below tips to avoid digital anxiety and associated cyber risks:

• Slow down before clicking or replying. Digital anxiety can trigger automatic reactions. A short pause to check sender details, URLs, or attachments can prevent security breaches.
• Treat urgency as a red flag. Cybercriminals often exploit pressure and fear. Always verify unexpected or urgent requests before responding.
• Avoid handling sensitive information on unsecured networks. Public Wi-Fi, often used when working outside regular hours, increases exposure to cyber threats. Mobile network and VPN should be applied in such cases.
• Use technologies that will help reduce risks. For example, Kaspersky Premium offers AI-powered anti phishing features designed to help warn of potential threats.

Businesses can reduce cybersecurity risks related to employees’ digital anxiety by providing regular cybersecurity training that helps staff recognise threats and respond correctly even under stress. At the same time, organisations should use robust cybersecurity solutions to minimise the impact of human error. Kaspersky Next’s adaptable and robust cloud-native protection, underpinned by an unequalled cybersecurity track record, is one of such products. Protection solutions for mail servers, such as Kaspersky Security for Mail Server, with anti-phishing capabilities, help to additionally decrease the chance of infection through a phishing email.

About Kaspersky

Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company founded in 1997. With over a billion devices protected to date from emerging cyberthreats and targeted attacks, Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative solutions and services to protect individuals, businesses, critical infrastructure, and governments around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading digital life protection for personal devices, specialized security products and services for companies, as well as Cyber Immune solutions to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. We help millions of individuals and nearly 200,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.co.za.