In teams, three channels are still unread, after the lunch break a missed call is waiting on the work cell phone and after work a colleague calls via WhatsApp: Constant digital stress at work is a real phenomenon. This is shown by the representative IU study “Always-on: Digital Stress in Germany”, for which around 2,000 people aged 16 to 65 were surveyed in January 2026.
Digital stress is perceived by those surveyed as a constant state: four out of ten say they have the feeling that they are constantly “on reception” mentally. More than half of IU respondents experience pressure to respond to digital messages in a timely manner; In one in five people, it is even considered unacceptable in their environment not to react immediately. Those surveyed also feel the pressure of constant availability at work: a third of the employees surveyed feel obliged to be available outside of working hours. Four out of ten people feel that they have to be consistently available in both their professional and private lives. The clear boundary between everyday life and work disappears.
How does constant availability affect health and productivity?
The health consequences of continuous digital sound exposure are significant: one in three respondents reported feeling emotionally or mentally exhausted at the end of the day often or every day; almost as many cite sleep problems as a frequent or daily side effect. Women are disproportionately affected – almost four out of ten women report symptoms of exhaustion and sleep problems. The excessive use of AI tools also contributes to constant stress, which can ultimately even lead to burnout. According to a study from the USA, HR employees are particularly affected by this.
For companies, stress caused by continuous digital sound is also a productivity issue. In addition, a good half of the IU respondents stated that their attention constantly jumps back and forth between different things. More than one in four feel overwhelmed by the amount of digital information, and a good third quickly lose track when incoming messages cause an interruption. This can also cause problems at work.
“More than half of those surveyed would like more offline time, but are unable to realize this wish. This does not indicate a lack of knowledge, but rather a strong external pressure of expectations: social norms, professional accessibility and the fear of missing out on something,” explains Timo Kortsch, professor of business psychology at the IU International University and author of the study. Young employees are particularly affected: Nine out of ten 16- to 30-year-olds check digital devices at least hourly, and almost half of this age group say they are afraid of missing something important when they are offline.
Which 5 HR measures help against constant digital stress?
These results are part of a broader trend of increasing exposure to stress factors: According to the TK Stress Report 2025, for which the Forsa Institute surveyed around 1,400 people on behalf of the Techniker Krankenkasse in May 2025, two thirds of people in Germany state that they often or sometimes feel stressed in everyday life or at work. The economic situation of many companies with job cuts and restructuring also creates a lot of stress, as our columnist, the psychologist Dr. Katharina Koch from the mental health platform Nilo, writes.
Now there are a number of measures that target individuals – the most frequently mentioned in the IU study are turning off push notifications and using do not disturb mode. Although such precautions can provide personal relief, they do not eliminate the structural causes. HR can also derive a whole range of options for action:
- Make accessibility expectations transparent: In many companies there are no explicit rules about when employees must be available outside of core working hours. This vacuum creates implicit pressure. Written agreements – for example at team or company level – give employees reliable orientation and create safe spaces.
- Involve managers: When superiors write emails late at night and expect quick replies, they are setting a standard that employees often perceive as obligatory – regardless of whether that was explicitly intended. HR can counteract this through clear communication standards.
- Record psychological stress in the risk assessment: The Occupational Safety and Health Act (§§ 5 and 4 ArbSchG) obliges employers to systematically record and evaluate stress, including psychological stress. Continuous availability and digital stress are factors that must be explicitly taken into account – but are often neglected in practice.
- Make team cultures visible: Implicit norms – such as the expectation to respond to messages outside of working hours – often arise from observed behavior in the team, not from explicit instructions. Structured reflection, for example in team meetings or retrospectives, can help to recognize such patterns and consciously change them.
- Consider different levels of concern. The IU study shows that women and younger employees are more stressed. Health services should take these differences into account. However, HR cannot take countermeasures everywhere: the study data indicates that the pressure of expectations from the family environment is particularly high for women.
Stress is not just a self-management problem
Permanent availability and digital stress will be issues in 2026 that will affect almost all employees. “This is not just an individual self-management problem, but a societal stress pattern with health and economic consequences,” states co-author Stefanie André, professor of health management at the IU International University. In any case, the implementation of concrete measures to protect employees from constant digital stress is (also) a matter for HR.
Christina Petrick-Löhr is responsible for the Talent & Learning magazine section as well as reporting on training and further education. She is also responsible for the editorial planning of various special human resources publications as well as the German Human Resources Prize.
