Hyperconnectivity: what are we really talking about?
Hyperconnection is not limited to excessive use of digital tools. Above all, it refers to a persistent difficulty in mentally disconnecting from work, even outside of working hours and the workplace. In organizations, this phenomenon goes beyond the individual sphere: it is part of collective operating modes, implicit expectations, and managerial practices that structure the relationship to work.
It manifests itself in near-constant availability, continuous anticipation of requests, and prolonged vigilance, even in the absence of messages. Data from the Infobesity and Digital Collaboration Observatory show that this vigilance is largely fueled by the volume of information processed: on average, an individual receives 157 emails per week, a manager 243, and an executive 390, which represents approximately 3 hours and 22 minutes, 7 hours and 6 minutes, and 11 hours and 24 minutes per week spent solely on processing emails (Infobesity and Digital Collaboration Reference Framework 2025 – OICN).
Executives, managers, and those in positions of responsibility are particularly exposed. Their roles often involve blurred boundaries between work and personal time, a high degree of autonomy, and implicit pressure linked to responsibility and expected responsiveness. And this is in a context where the issue of disconnecting is entirely a matter of quality of life and working conditions.
Mental overload and information overload: a brain under constant strain
Psychological functioning is based on alternating between engagement and recovery. Hyperconnectivity disrupts this balance by keeping the brain in a state of constant stimulation, which is characteristic of the intensification of work observed in many organizations.
The proliferation of emails, messages, meetings, and notifications generates cognitive overload. The feeling of multitasking is misleading: attention is fragmented, shifting from one topic to another without ever fully settling. OICN analyses highlight that this overload is not solely due to email: the amount of time spent in meetings has increased significantly, with executives spending up to 36 hours and 20 minutes in meetings per week and a marked increase in so-called "tunnel days," exceeding six hours of meetings per day.
Gradually, this way of working leads to diffuse mental fatigue, a feeling of unfinished work, a loss of clarity in priorities, and a decrease in the sense of personal effectiveness. Ultimately, these mechanisms can undermine self-confidence and create underlying stress that is often difficult to identify or express.
FOMO and hypervigilance: the fear of disconnecting
A frequently observed phenomenon is the fear of missing out on important information, known by the acronym FOMO. In some organizations, this fear is based on reality: missing out on information can have operational or relational consequences. It is reinforced by the immediacy of digital tools and by a professional culture that values responsiveness.
The data shows that this hypervigilance translates into frequent reconnection behaviors. For example, 21% of managers reconnect between 50 and 150 evenings per year, and 46% of executives send at least one email during the weekend (Infobésité et Collaboration Numérique 2025 – OICN). Gradually, connecting becomes a reflex, even without direct solicitation, and maintains a permanent internal tension, promoting a state of chronic stress.
Teleworking and isolation: fragile reference points
The widespread adoption of remote working has profoundly changed the benchmarks of work. While this arrangement offers flexibility, it also removes certain structuring markers: commutes, informal breaks, and the physical separation between professional and personal spheres. However, these benchmarks play an essential role in regulating engagement.
Their disappearance can lead to longer working days, difficulty in switching off, and confusion between availability and performance. Furthermore, although digital interactions are numerous, they do not always replace the quality of face-to-face exchanges. The OICN has observed a sharp increase in synchronous usage, with more time spent in videoconferences and a rise in the number of meetings, both of which are recognized factors in information overload and cognitive fatigue.
Blurring: when boundaries fade away
The separation between professional and personal life is a major psychological protective factor. When this boundary becomes blurred, a phenomenon known as blurring, recovery capacities are greatly reduced. Hyperconnectivity leads some employees to work during time initially set aside for rest and to remain mentally engaged at all times.
Data on digital vacations illustrates this difficulty in disconnecting: 73% of managers have less than two weeks per year without sending work emails, and a significant proportion of senior executives continue to deal with digital flows during periods of rest (Infobésité et Collaboration Numérique 2025 – OICN reference framework). This imbalance weakens the individual and increases vulnerability to stress, which can ultimately lead to burnout.
Moving from awareness to collective experimentation
Hyperconnection cannot be regulated solely by individual decisions.
It must be addressed collectively, through shared rules and simple rituals that can be tested in practice.
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Hyperconnectivity and health: signs that should not be ignored
Hyperconnection rarely appears as a central complaint. It is most often expressed through indirect signs, which it is important not to trivialize in a preventive approach. Physically, it can manifest as sleep disorders, persistent fatigue, eating disorders, or physical tension. Cognitively, it is accompanied by difficulty concentrating, frequent forgetfulness, mental confusion, and a decreased sense of control. Emotionally, it can cause irritability, diffuse anxiety, demotivation, and progressive isolation.
When these signs persist over time, the risk of burnout increases. Burnout results from prolonged overload and cannot be resolved by rest alone if working conditions remain unchanged.
Preventing hyperconnectivity: a shared responsibility
Preventing hyperconnectivity cannot rely solely on individuals. It is part of a combination of personal and organizational factors, at the heart of approaches to quality of life, working conditions, and the prevention of psychosocial risks.
On an individual level, this means recognizing your own signs of overload, allowing yourself breaks without feeling guilty, establishing rituals for the beginning and end of the day, and maintaining activities unrelated to work. At the collective level, prevention involves clarifying expectations in terms of availability, limiting contradictory demands, encouraging regulatory management practices, and recognizing recovery as a lever for sustainable performance. The OICN's work shows that when rules of use are established and shared, rates of reconnection outside working hours tend to decrease, a sign of a gradual awareness on the part of organizations.
And now, how should we act at the team level?
Preventing hyperconnectivity requires concrete practices that are tailored to how teams actually work.
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Rituals, shared rules, and a 45-minute workshop framework to test, adjust, and structure disconnection at work.
Conclusion
Hyperconnectivity is neither marginal nor insignificant. It reflects profound changes in the workplace, marked by intensification, blurred boundaries between work and personal life, and increased cognitive and emotional demands. It should neither be trivialized nor morally judged. It is a telling sign of the balance, or imbalance, between professional demands and available resources.
In the French context, understanding these mechanisms is an essential first step in sustainably preventing psychosocial risks, structuring a quality of life and working conditions approach, and maintaining team commitment over the long term, based on objective data on professional digital usage.
