The age of the digital detox

(Posted on 17/10/16)

For many businesses, a ‘digital detox’ the idea of switching off all digital sources is scary to say the least; clients urgent requests unanswered, deadlines missed. However, Virgin have put their ‘digital detox’ theory to the test. Every Wednesday morning the email system is turned off and around 200 employees in the UK and America must step away from their desks.

According to Virgin Management, the move is designed to encourage employees to spend more time communicating with their colleagues and stop focussing on the inbox. Instead employees with partake in new innovative ways of encouraging productivity, including brainstorming sessions, walking meetings and even running clubs.

Such an idea has grown from an increased concern over the amount of time that people are spending plugged in and online. Media and telecoms regulator OFCOM has found the amount of time people spend online is causing sleep deprivation and another report from Deloitte shows that 1 in 3 adults check their smartphone in the middle of the night. Josh Bayliss, the CEO of Virgin group implemented the scheme when he realised “how detrimental it is to engagement across teams and wellbeing to spend a lot of time in front of the computer.”

Is a ‘digital detox’ something that you would consider for your business. Whilst it seems a daunting prospect there is something to be said for switching off our laptops, tablets and mobile phones and conducting ourselves face to face in a more personal manner. Watch this space, the digital detox could be sweeping workplaces before we know it.