When email came on the scene, it was a game-changer. Now most organizations rely on it as their primary mode of communication, although that might be bolstered by other direct messaging platforms like Slack or Teams. While these tools are great for immediately getting people the information they need, they’re also a significant cause of stress. If we constantly check our messages or feel that we’re expected always to be available, it becomes difficult to draw boundaries between our personal and professional life. Many smart managers are realizing this, and since they want to take their employees’ mental health seriously, they’ve set up policies where communications can be ignored until regular work hours. Does this really work, though? The research shows the answer is no. There’s something called “email urgency bias” researchers refer to. This phenomenon is caused in part by the fact that the speed of response is often a proxy for dedication to work. Even though your employees don’t have to respond, everyone knows it looks better if they do. If this is the unspoken rule, you might as well not have a policy in place at all. So what can be done? Instead of signing off with a “don’t feel the need to respond until tomorrow,” don’t send the email in the first place. Create a culture where communication eventually shuts down and picks back up the next day.