When can we switch off from work? Public event discusses blurred lines for home workers
A free public event at the University of Stirling will address the blurred lines between work and leisure
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A free public event at the University of Stirling will address the blurred lines between work and leisure, as an increasing amount of people work from home.
Can Digital Workers Switch Off? on Wednesday, 5 November will explore the rights and abilities of workers to switch off in the wake of new technologies which monitor the performance of employees, and concerns about productivity in the UK.
Led by Dr Tom Montgomery, an expert in labour market policy and the future of work at the University of Stirling Business School, the event will feature a panel discussion and question and answer session.
Panellists include Steph Wright, Head of the Scottish AI Alliance, a partnership between The Data Lab and the Scottish Government tasked with the delivery of Scotland’s AI Strategy, and Dr Ewan Kerr, Research Fellow in the Division of Urban Studies and Social Policy at the University of Glasgow.
The event is part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science, organised by the University of Stirling. It takes place from October 18 to November 8 and aims to share social science with local communities.
Launched two years ago, the Festival of Social Science this year features seven events, all with a theme of Our Working Lives, taking place online and in-person in venues across Stirling, Alloa and Glasgow.
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Lecturer in Work & Organisations
[New] technologies and their use expand beyond the boundaries of the traditional workplace and can also extend the working day. This poses real questions about the extent to which workers can actually switch off
Dr Montgomery, Lecturer in Work & Organisations, who is currently conducting research into fair work and electronic performance monitoring, said: “The new world of work means that many workers, who may not have previously considered themselves digital workers, are now precisely that through their use of a range of technologies in their everyday working lives. These technologies and their use expand beyond the boundaries of the traditional workplace and can also extend the working day. This poses real questions about the extent to which workers can actually switch off and what measures can be considered both in terms of best practice by employers and in legislation.”
He added: “The discussions at our ESRC Festival of Social Science event will be a space to identify and debate some of the challenges and opportunities that exist for workers seeking their downtime in an increasingly digital workplace.”
The Festival is part of the UK-wide Festival of Social Science 2025 and was made possible thanks to funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
The University of Stirling festival programme is supported by the Stirling Social Science Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) which promotes the social science research collaborations with partners and communities.
The University of Stirling is world-renowned for its work in social science; it is ranked 1st in Scotland for Criminology, top 5 in Scotland for social policy and Sociology, and top 15 in the UK for education*.
Can Digital Workers Switch Off? takes place from 1:00pm to 3:00pm on Wednesday, 5 November at Room 3:04, Campus Central, University of Stirling, FK9 4LA. The event is free but bookings are required. Book here.
For a list of all events and more information visit www.stir.ac.uk/ESRCFestival
Find out more about the UK-wide 2025 Festival of Social Science at festivalofsocialscience.com
* Source: Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025.