We already know the majority of us with jobs work more than the standard 40 hours per week. And one of the causes of those long hours could be in your hand right now: your cell phone.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in the UK says we’ve become “screen slaves” to our smartphones, laptops and tablet computers.

More than two-thirds of the workers surveyed by the society said they use such devices to keep toiling away long after the business day is done.

Dr. Helena Johnson, chairwoman of the society, said the findings were of “huge concern,” explaining, “If [working at home] becomes a regular part of your evening routine then it can lead to problems such as back and neck pain, as well as stress-related illness.”

“Excessive work levels are not good for anyone,” concurred Brendan Barber, general secretary of the UK’s Trades Union Congress. “Overworked employees are not only unlikely to be performing well at work, the stress an unmanageable workload causes is also likely to be making them ill.”

He recommends that people who have a hard time leaving work in the office “should talk to their managers — and learn to switch off their smartphones.”

[BBC]

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