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Communicating via email and chat apps during non-work hours reduces employees' ability to psychologically detach from work, more so than any other form of IT-based communication, research has found.

The report, published in Human Resource Management, cites evidence that after-hours ICT use in general has a negative effect on employees' psychological detachment and their ability to "recover" from work, causing a range of detrimental health outcomes, including exhaustion, sleep problems, and lower life satisfaction.

And although many countries, including Australia, have introduced protections against employees having to work during non-work hours, exceptions due to urgent work requirements mean after-hours contact can sometimes be unavoidable, it adds...