A Deloitte series on behavioral economics and management

Positive technology
Designing work environments for
digital well-being
Positive technology

At Deloitte, our people are our greatest asset and we want them to be successful in their profes-
sional and personal lives. That’s why we are committed to supporting their diverse well-being
needs in body, mind, and purpose. Learn more about well-being at Deloitte (https://www2.de-
loitte.com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/inclusion-work-life-fit.html).

A Deloitte series on behavioral economics and management

Behavioral economics is the examination of how psychological, social, and emotional factors of-
ten conflict with and override economic incentives when individuals or groups make decisions.
This article is part of a series that examines the influence and consequences of behavioral prin-
ciples on the choices people make related to their work. Collectively, these articles, interviews,
and reports illustrate how understanding biases and cognitive limitations is a first step to de-
veloping countermeasures that limit their impact on an organization. For more information visit
http://dupress.com/collection/behavioral-insights/.
 Designing work environments for digital well-being

CONTENTS

Introduction | 2

The perils of workplace digital technology | 3

What employers can do | 6

Better technology | 7

Endnotes | 11

1
Positive technology

Introduction

“A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”—Herbert Simon1

T
HE transformative impact of technology on some fear addictive3—aspects of digital technologies,
the modern workplace is plain to see. Face- which can sap us of truly finite resources: our time
to-face meetings have often given way to and attention. While companies may benefit from
video conferences, mailrooms to email inboxes, and tech-enabled increased productivity in the short
typewriters and carbon paper to word processors. term, the blurring of the line between work and life
Technology has also allowed a substantial portion follows a law of diminishing returns. As recent De-
of work—and the workforce—to move beyond the loitte research suggests, the value derived from the
confines of a traditional office.2 It is common for always-on employee can be undermined by such
digitally connected professionals to perform some negative factors as increased cognitive load and di-
of their work in cafés or shops, at home, even lying minished employee performance and well-being.4
by the pool while on “vacation.” In short, digital and mobile technologies give—
This technological revolution brings with it but they also take away. It falls on talent and tech-
many obvious benefits. Colleagues can easily com- nology leaders to weigh the efficiencies enabled
municate across geographies, simultaneously re- by always-connected employees against increased
ducing expenses, environmental damage, and demands on scarce time and attention, and longer-
bodily wear-and-tear. Open source software, search term harm to worker productivity, performance,
engines, and online shopping services enable us to and well-being. Getting the most from technology
summon in a few clicks the tools and information and people isn’t about simply demanding restraint.
we need to be productive. Online maps, global posi- It’s about designing digital technologies that facili-
tioning systems, and real-time translation services tate the cultivation of healthy habits of technology
help us navigate unfamiliar places and communi- use, not addictive behavior. And it’s possible for
cate with locals. leaders of organizations to play an active role in de-
But there are downsides to our technology-in- signing workplaces that encourage the adoption of
fused lives. Of particular concern are the engaging— healthy technology habits.

2
 Designing work environments for digital well-being

The perils of workplace

digital technology

W
ORKING long, stressful days was once make technology use compulsive and habit-forming,
regarded as a characteristic of the pro- taking on the characteristics of an addiction.
letariat life. Yet today, being “always on” In his recent book, Irresistible, New York Uni-
is instead often emblematic of high social status.5 versity marketing and psychology professor Adam
Technology may have physically freed us from our Alter identifies a variety of factors that can contrib-
desks, but it has also eliminated natural breaks ute to digital addiction.8 In the context of the work-
which would ordinarily take place during the work- place, many of these factors—summarized in the
day. And recent research suggests that this effect following section—can enable employee technology
is not restricted to the workday. According to the addiction.
American Psychological Association, 53 percent of
Americans work over the weekend, 52 percent work
outside designated work hours, and 54 percent Metrification and alerts
work even when sick.6 Flextime, typically viewed as
a benefit of technology providing greater freedom, Digital technologies can quantify previously
actually leads to more work hours.7 Without tan- unquantifiable aspects of our lives, yielding fresh
gible interventions, there’s little reason to think this insight into how we spend our time. On a personal
behavior will change anytime soon. level, we can track our steps and count our likes,
These environmental factors and cultural norms friends, and followers. At work, we are greeted each
are increasingly compounded by technological de- morning with dozens of unopened emails and re-
sign elements—some intentional, others not—that minders of sequences of meetings. During the day,

UNINTENTIONAL VS. INTENTIONAL DESIGN

It often seems that for technology designers, the main objective has been to maximize productivity
and profitability, forgoing all other concerns.9 Yet ignoring the end user’s well-being means these
products have become devoid of features to help mitigate the negative outcomes of technology. This
has resulted in products being designed to capture some of the scarcest commodities we have: our
time and attention.

Some of these design decisions occur unintentionally, a byproduct of an endless pursuit to create
the most efficient product. Other designs are products of designers creating features to maximize
the likelihood that employees will become hooked. Both unintentional and intentional design can
result in a similar outcome: addicted users.

Fortunately, both can be overcome when more attention is paid to the problem, and interventions—
both technological and environmental—are put in place. Even more heartening is our belief that as
users become more educated and more accustomed to being less beholden to technology, they will
willingly employ these countermeasures themselves to promote better usage and well-being.

3
Positive technology

workers are interrupted by continual streams of Absent smart choice architecture, workers often
emails, texts, and instant messages. come up with their own rules for prioritizing op-
Certainly, many such messages and notifica- tions and tasks. Such improvised heuristics can vary
tions are necessary and helpful. But many others over time and across individuals, and be inconsis-
do little more than distract us from important tasks tent with roles and performance goals.16
at hand, undermining productivity rather than en-
hancing it. In a widely cited study, cognitive scien-
tist Gloria Mark and her colleagues state that people Zero cost for inclusion
compensate for interruptions by working faster, but
this comes at a two-fold price: The individual expe- Virtual meetings offer organizations many ad-
riences more stress, frustration, and time pressure vantages, such as cost savings, knowledge transfer,
and effort.10 Concurrently, the organization often and team culture-building.17 And employees can
experiences not only decreased employee perfor- benefit from less travel and more telecommuting op-
mance,11 but also, as elaborated in the next section, portunities. But the very ease with which people can
less optimal business decisions due to the lack of be invited to and accept these meetings (especially
adequate time to sufficiently weigh pros and cons many days in advance, when calendars are typi-
and consider and evaluate viable alternatives. cally more open) can translate into a disadvantage.
Specifically, constant streams of messages, pri- Meeting organizers often choose to err on the side of
oritized in terms of importance can create cognitive inclusion, minimizing the risk of leaving someone
scarcity, resulting in a deterioration of the individ- out; and the average worker often chooses to attend
ual’s ability to adequately process information.12 Re- it for fear of missing out on something important.
cent research has found that conditions of scarcity The all-too-common net result is a day packed with
impose a kind of “cognitive tax” on individuals. For back-to-back meetings, during which much is said,
example, an experiment that involved focusing low- less retained, and even less achieved. This results in
income persons’ attention on a scenario in which either less time to complete actual tasks at hand, or
they urgently needed to raise several thousand dol- multitasking, which can diminish the quality of the
lars resulted in the equivalent of a 13-point drop in meetings and the overall engagement.
IQ. (This is similar to the drop in IQ someone would
experience after going a night without sleep.) Sur-
prisingly, this phenomenon has similar effects on Bottomless bowls
overloaded individuals who are scarce on a differ-
ent dimension: time. This raises the concern that Technology design that removes natural stop-
digital firehoses of poorly-filtered information can ping points keeps the user in a state of productive
hamper our ability to pay attention, make good de- inertia.18 This mind-set often plays a productive role
cisions, and stick to plans. And when we try to com- in our work life, enabling us to get into the groove
pensate for interruptions by working faster, we only and accomplishing task after task without the inef-
get more frustrated and stressed.13 ficacy of acting to continue. Although, when we im-
Another cognitive effect of too many alerts and merse ourselves in an inconsequential task, there
too much unfiltered information is choice overload. can also be unproductive flows. Who hasn’t lost
Individuals experiencing choice overload often find hours reading low-priority emails simply because
it difficult to make decisions unless clear environ- they appear one after another? This is perhaps a
mental cues or default options are established to workplace analog of the “bottomless design” imple-
help guide—nudge—their decision-making.14 Such mented in social media feeds and online entertain-
cues and defaults are examples of what the authors ment platforms to capture viewers’ attention. The
of the 2008 book, Nudge, call choice architecture.15 natural default is to continue, not to stop.19

4
 Designing work environments for digital well-being

Smart screens and day, while exposure to blue screen light emitted by
slot machines mobile devices simultaneously reduces the mela-
tonin required for good sleep. This self-reinforcing
Who can resist checking a buzzing mobile de- loop makes the seven- to nine-hour sleep cycle, con-
vice? It could be an email congratulating a pro- sidered necessary to avoid a catalogue of negative
motion or a team message about a testing success. health outcomes, more difficult to maintain.24
Or it could be spam. Yet we’re compelled to check, Physical disconnection: Technology is hav-
and technology designers know that—which is why, ing an even more profound negative effect on so-
drawing from the work of psychologist B. F. Skin- cial well-being. While it can enable us to engage
ner, they know altering the timing between rewards in relationships across distances and time zones,
for particular tasks is highly effective—and often ad- this sometimes comes at the expense of good old-
dictive. This variability of rewards, which Skinner fashioned face-to-face relationships.25 With devices
called the “variable-ratio schedule,”20 has been put always demanding our attention, family and friends
to ample use in technology design, embodied partic- are often neglected—altering our entire social struc-
ularly in the swipe-down-to-refresh design of many ture.26 And our connection to social media too can
mobile applications. In this sense, our devices are become strong enough to mimic the rewarding sen-
metaphorical slot machines, incentivizing us to con- sation caused by cocaine.27
tinue coming back for the big payoff.21 To capitalize Anxiety and depression: Information over-
on this addictive quality of the element of surprise, load is not only distracting, but potentially mentally
many popular social media sites have changed their damaging. We live with a finite amount of time and
algorithms to no longer show feeds in chronological a limitless well of information and choices, often
order. Instead, each refresh presents a new cura- resulting in a phenomenon called FOMO—fear of
tion of a tailored feed—incorporating both old and missing out. With phones and computers constantly
new—with no apparent rhyme or reason for the new alerting us of all the opportunities available, becom-
ordering.22 ing double-booked is not infrequent and can lead to
Unhealthy use of workplace technology can do anxiety when the user needs to skip one meeting in
more than compromise productivity—it can impair favor of another. Viewing others’ social profiles can
workers’ physical and mental well-being. A few ex- also affect our mood.28 We see sites filled with users
amples establish the point. only emphasizing the positives,29 showcasing glam-
Poor sleep: Addiction to technology and the al- orous vacation and social photos, or news of promo-
ways-on work culture are contributing to a societal tions and other triumphs. Perhaps it’s no wonder
dearth of sleep.23 The wakefulness that accompanies we can begin to question whether our lives pale by
engaging in work means we’re less tired during the comparison.

5
Positive technology

What employers can do

S
KEPTICS of technology addiction often re- core insight finds that relatively modest evidence-
spond: “Just put the phone down.” Yet will- based environmental tweaks can lead to outsized
power is not enough. Technology is designed changes in behaviors and positive outcomes.32 (See
to psychologically stimulate the reward centers of the sidebar, “Behavioral science and design applica-
our brain to keep us coming back for more, mimick- tion ethics.”) Take one example: placing less nutri-
ing the effects of a physical drug addiction.30 Recti- tious foods in a cafeteria out of direct sight or easy
fying this will ultimately require that developers and reach. Doing so doesn’t eliminate any options; indi-
technologists adopt the human-centered approach viduals are still free to choose whatever they want.
of designing technologies and work environments But the thoughtful placement prompts more nutri-
that help users overcome—rather than be overcome tious choices and less “mindless eating.”33 Analo-
by—natural human limitations.31 gous sorts of behavioral design can be applied to
Fortunately, the growing ubiquity of digital our technology-mediated work environments when
technology is matched by the growing prominence employers choose both better technologies that
of the cognitive and behavioral sciences, accompa- have been designed with user well-being in mind,
nied by a burgeoning collection of practical tools for and better workplace environments, social norms,
prompting healthy behavior change. Especially sig- and expectations to positively influence how we use
nificant is the emergence of the field of behavioral our devices.
science or when applied, behavioral “nudges.” This

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE AND DESIGN APPLICATION ETHICS

Behavioral science can be applied to nudge people to act in ways that are either consistent or
inconsistent with their long-term best interests. Therefore, organizations considering nudge
strategies should think through the ethical dimension of applied behavioral science. The choice
architecture pioneers Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein use the term “libertarian paternalism” to
characterize the field. Ethical choice architecture is “libertarian” in the sense that it maintains
freedom of choice, and at the same time “paternalistic” in the sense that it makes it easier for
individuals to act in ways that are consistent with their long-term goals. Thaler comments that
whenever he autographs a copy of Nudge, he writes “Nudge for good.”34

6
 Designing work environments for digital well-being

Better technology

Track, analyze, and the perceived social norm that everyone works a 60-
hour week or prompt her to begin a workload con-
change usage patterns versation with her manager.39
All of us are now effectively part of the Internet
of Things: We leave behind “digital breadcrumbs”
as we go about our digitally mediated lives.35 In par- Use AI to promote
ticular, this happens on the job: Email and calendar healthier behavior
metadata are a rich, largely untapped data source,
Artificial intelligence (AI) can also help us better
and it is now technologically feasible to collect “af-
mediate our interaction with technology, perform-
fective computing” data from cheap electronic de-
ing tedious “spadework,” to free us to focus on high-
vices that capture data about tone of voice, facial
er-level tasks. In particular, AI can be harnessed to
expression, and even how much we sweat during
help us manage our digital work environments. For
states of stress or excitement.
example, some email systems now use AI to sort
It is obviously crucial to avoid using such data in
emails into categories, making urgent emails easi-
invasive, “big brother” ways.36 Still, it is worthwhile
er to locate and only pushing primary emails to a
to consider using such data to help individuals bet-
user’s phone.40 Google has also worked with behav-
ter understand and regulate their use of technolo-
ioral economist Dan Ariely to build AI into its calen-
gy.37 For instance, smart meters can display individ-
dar application, which can automatically schedule
uals’ application usage patterns, highlighting areas
“appointments” for performing tasks that are impor-
of concern. There is already software which is avail-
tant but tend to get crowded out by concrete tasks
able to monitor application usage and time spent on
that are urgent in the short term. “Email shows up
various websites; at the enterprise level, other solu-
and says, ‘Answer me,’” Ariely says. Unfortunately,
tions exist that can track the time that an employee
time for thinking does not do that.”41
spends on each application, creating reports that
At the next level, emerging examples include a
include comparisons to other employees. Such com-
chatbot that can help cut down technology-related
parison metrics can help workers truly understand
negative behaviors. For instance, its software fea-
how their efforts compare to those of their col-
tures a smart filter that can prevent certain appli-
leagues, and, when delivered with the appropriately
cations, such as a social media feed, from refresh-
framed message, convey messages about work-hour
ing.42 It is possible that AI products can be designed
social norms in an effort to guide decisions and also
to ameliorate other forms of stress and anxiety on
discourage “always on behavior.” Such data could
the job. Another AI-enabled chatbot, designed by
also be used to tailor peer comparison messages
a team of Stanford University psychologists and
designed to nudge healthier technology use. Such
computer scientists, can perform Cognitive Behav-
social proof-based messaging has proven effective
ioral Therapy (CBT). CBT is often employed as an
in applications ranging from curbing energy use
intervention technique to help individuals identify
to prompting more timely tax payments.38 For in-
the factors driving negative thoughts and behaviors
stance, an employee working more than 50 hours
and subsequently identify and encourage positive
a week could be sent a notification informing her
alternative behaviors.43 This technique was covered
that she has been working more than her cowork-
in recent Deloitte research,44 and has been found
ers, who average around 45 hours of work a week.
to be a solid intervention for improving emotional
This nudge could be enough to break her free from
well-being.45

7
Positive technology

Encourage productive flows human-centered design can also be applied to work

environments. Indeed, nudging can be viewed as
Employers can build into their email and inter-
human-centered design applied to choice environ-
nal systems mechanisms that incorporate stopping
ments.50 Providing information and establishing
points into applications, nudging users to decide
policies, restrictions, and guidelines are “classical
whether to continue an activity. Reminders have
economics”-inspired levers for effecting behavioral
proven to be an effective nudge strategy in vari-
change. Smart defaults, commitment devices, social
ous contexts.46 Drawing from the consumer realm,
norms, and peer comparisons are examples of “soft
some developers have begun to incorporate new
touch” choice architecture tools that can be em-
nudging features. When a customer begins to exces-
ployed to design work environments that are con-
sively use another commonly scarce resource, data,
ducive to more productive uses of technology (see
many phones will notify the user that they are about
figure 1).
to exceed their data limit. These alerts can nudge a
user to break free from the flow of data usage and
reassess their continued use. Transferring this con- Technology and social pressure
cept to the work environment could, for instance,
Employer policies and cultural norms can miti-
take the form of employers nudging employees to
gate the always-on culture. For example, both poli-
disconnect from emails while on vacation or outside
cies and organizational cultures can be tuned to dis-
of work hours.
courage employees from communicating with each
Technology can likewise be used to maintain
other via email outside of work hours. This can be
positive states of flow, and also as a commitment
complemented with technological default mecha-
device to nudge us toward better behaviors.47 For
nisms that make it logistically harder or impossible
example, the “Flowlight” is a kind of “traffic light”
to send emails or set up meetings during off hours.
designed to signal to coworkers that a knowledge
A less heavy-handed but potentially equally
worker is currently “in the zone,” and should not be
powerful persuasive technique is subtly employing
disturbed. The Flowlight is based on keyboard and
the power of peer pressure via social proof. Social
mouse usage as well as the user’s instant message
proof is premised on the social psychology finding
status.48 Likewise, Thrive Global has a new app that,
that individuals often use the behavior of others to
when you put it in “thrive” mode, responds to send-
guide their own actions.51 Social proof has proven
ers that you are thriving and will reply later.49
effective in a variety of settings ranging from en-
couraging people to reuse their hotel towels52 to
Better environments getting them to pay their taxes on time.53 With this
in mind, companies could inform employees that
The aforementioned ideas exemplify various
sending emails to colleagues during off hours is
forms of human-centered design applied to work-
not the norm and not encouraged. Going one step
place technologies. However, as also alluded to,

Figure 1. Potential environmental nudge strategies to help break technology addiction

Nudge strategy How it works

Design technology-enabled reminders to break ongoing continuous activity on digital

Reminders
tools such as email and social media.

Communicate social norms regarding email and work habits during off-work hours—
Social proof for example, that the majority of workers and leaders do not check email during
certain times.

Encourage employees to take a “digital detox” or work-life balance pledge, committing

Commitment devices
to limiting their email use outside of work hours.

Deloitte Insights | deloitte.com/insights

8
 Designing work environments for digital well-being

further, one leading multinational auto corpora- gin to make life changes with the support of their
tion uses a hybrid of technology-enabled processes employer. So far, the organization has found this
and cultural norms, allowing employees the option approach successful.56 In addition to the automatic-
of automatically deleting all emails received dur- reply devices we mentioned earlier, another activity
ing vacation, notifying the sender that the message that could incorporate a pre-commitment pledge is
was not received.54 If this seems too radical, another a “digital detox,” something Deloitte itself employs.
option is offering a day-long vacation extension, al- This is a seven-day program that involves making
lowing employees who have been off for multiple small technology-related changes each day.
successive days to ease back into work by catching Regardless of the specific policy or choice ar-
up on email and other non-collaborative tasks. An- chitecture intervention, the overarching aim is
other simple bit of choice architecture can lighten to rewire the workplace in ways that improve the
the load of numerous back-to-back meetings: Set- employee-technology relationship. To be success-
ting the default meeting durations to 25 minutes ful, there must be a push from the top down: It is
rather than 30 automatically builds in rest periods. one thing to create a new policy, but quite another
for an organization’s leaders to openly display their
commitment to it, and communicate its resulting
Commitment devices benefits.
and social support
Research shows that if someone publicly com-
mits to specific steps to achieve a goal, they are
A matter of habit
more likely to follow through.55 Commitment de- Improving our relationship with technology—
vices such as pledges are premised on this finding. both on the job and off—is less a matter of continual
For example, Johns Hopkins University has created exercise of willpower than designing digital tech-
a well-being pledge for its employees. Interested nologies and environments to reflect the realities of
workers are offered a plethora of opportunities human psychology. Poorly (or perversely) designed
and strategies to help increase work-life fit over the technologies can hijack our attention and lead to
course of 30 or 90 days. Once they sign up, they be- technology addiction. But design can also facilitate

DIGITAL DETOX: ACTIONS CONSUMERS CAN TAKE

(AND EMPLOYERS CAN ENCOURAGE)
In need of a digital detox? Here’s a sample approach:

Monday: Unsubscribe from all unwanted emails; unfollow anyone you don’t know on social media. If
you are feeling really ambitious, put your phone on grayscale to reduce its distracting attractiveness.

Tuesday: Move any mobile apps that you have not used in the past month into a folder to cut down
clutter; turn off push notifications on social media.

Wednesday: Charge your device outside of your bedroom. Buy an alarm clock to replace your
phone clock.

Thursday: Don’t look at your phone until you arrive at work. When you sit down for dinner, shut off
your phone.

Friday: Eat all your meals in a room without a TV, phone, or computer for the day.

Saturday: Stay off social media for the entire day.

Sunday: Turn your phone off for eight consecutive hours (while you’re awake!). Take your
smartwatch off your wrist.

9
Positive technology

ual exercises of willpower than by

taking the time to redesign their
environments in ways that make
positive behaviors more effortless
and automatic.
Metaphorically, it pays to rei-
magine and reshape our environ-
ments in ways that make healthy
habits a downhill rather than an
uphill climb. In the workplace, in-
dividual employees can play a role
in cocreating positive technologi-
cal environments. But, ultimately,
leaders of organizations should
play an active role in spearheading
the cultivation of healthy habits of technology use.
such design efforts and taking an evidence-based
Many of our automatic, repeated behaviors are cued
approach to learning what works, and continually
by environmental factors.57 People who successfully
improving on it.
cultivate positive habits do so less through contin-

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 Designing work environments for digital well-being

ENDNOTES

1. Economist, “Herbert Simon,” March 20, 2009.

2. FlexJobs, “Current trends of telecommuting,” June 21, 2013.

3. Williesha Morris, “Technology addiction,” IAAP Edge, November 24, 2015.

4. Kelly Monahan, Mark Cotteleer, and Jen Fisher, Does scarcity make you dumb? A behavioral understanding of how
scarcity diminishes our decision making and control, Deloitte University Press, July 19, 2016.

5. Silvia Bellezza, Anat Keinan, and Neeru Paharia, “Conspicuous consumption of time: When busyness and lack of
leisure time become a status symbol,” Advances in Consumer Research 44 (2016): pp. 118–38.

6. American Psychological Association, “Americans stay connected to work on weekends, vacation and even when
out sick,” press release, September 4, 2013.

7. Heejung Chung, “Flexible working is making us work longer,” Quartz, April 27, 2017.

8. Adam Alter, Irresistible: Why We Can’t Stop Checking, Scrolling, Clicking and Watching (London: The Bodley Head,
2017).

9. Alex Hern, “Never get high on your own supply – why social media bosses don’t use social media,” Guardian,
January 23, 2018.

10. See Gloria Mark, Daniela Gudith, and Ulrich Klocke, “The cost of interrupted work: More speed and stress,”
CHI’08: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, April 5–10, 2008.

11. Monahan, Cotteleer, and Fisher, Does scarcity make you dumb?.

12. Eldar Shafir and Sendhil Mullainathan, Scarcity: The New Science of Having Less and How it Defines Our Lives (Lon-
don: Macmillan/Picador, 2014).

13. Mark, Gudith, and Klocke, “The cost of interrupted work: More speed and stress.”

14. Sheena S. Iyengar and Mark Lepper, “When choice is demotivating: Can one desire too much of a good thing?,”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 79, no.6 (2001): pp. 995–1006.

15. See Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (Yale
University Press, 2008).

16. Considerations for talent: Give employees more guidance for prioritizing emails and meetings; considerations
for technology: Give employees training and technology to sort emails by importance and send meetings in a
way that includes options for “optional” vs. “required” attendees. HR can also encourage cultures and norms that
discourage attending every meeting or inviting “everyone” to err on the safe side.

17. Melly Parker, “What are the benefits of virtual meetings?,” Chron.com, accessed February 8, 2018.

18. Brigitte Madrian and Dennis Shea, “The power of suggestion: Inertia in 401(k) participation and savings behav-
ior,” Quarterly Journal of Economics 116, no. 4 (2001): pp. 1149–187.

19. Natasha Singer, “Can’t put down your device? That’s by design,” New York Times, December 5, 2015.

20. B. F. Skinner, Contingencies of Reinforcement: A Theoretical Analysis (New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1969).

21. Tristan Harris, “How technology is hijacking your mind—from a magician and Google design ethicist,” Thrive
Global, May 18, 2016.

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Positive technology

22. Sadiacreates, “Instagram algorithm: The best marketing strategy ever implemented on the social media site?,”
January 16, 2018.

23. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep,” CDC Newsroom, February
18, 2016.

24. Cleveland Clinic, “What happens to your body when you don’t get enough sleep,” Health Essentials, September
18, 2015.

25. Chris Morris, “Is technology killing the human touch?,” CNBC Disruptor 50, August 15, 2015.

26. Sherry Turkle, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other (Basic Books, 2011).

27. Mark Molloy, “Facebook addiction ‘activates same part of the brain as cocaine,’” Telegraph, February 17, 2016.

28. Markham Heid, “You asked: Is social media making me miserable?,” Time, accessed February 19, 2018.

29. Olivia Petter, “Social media is making it easier to conceal mental illnesses,” Independent, January 24, 2018.

30. Kathy Pretz, “Medical experts say addiction to technology is a growing concern,” IEEE, December 23, 2016.

31. For a related discussion, see Jim Guszcza, “Smarter together: Why artificial intelligence needs human-centered
design,” Deloitte Review 22, January 2018.

32. Sunstein and Thaler, Nudge.

33. Laszlo Bock, Work Rules! Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead (New York: Twelve,
2015).

34. See Jim Guszcza, “The importance of misbehaving: A conversation with Richard Thaler,” Deloitte Review 18, Janu-
ary 25, 2015.

35. This theme is explored in Jim Guszcza, Harvey Lewis, and John Lucker, “IoT’s about us: Emerging forms of innova-
tion in the Internet of Things,” Deloitte Review 17, July 27, 2015.

36. We reference Big Brother which was first coined in George Orwell’s 1984.

37. Alain Samson, “Salience,” Behavioral Economics Guide 1 (2014): p. 5.

38. Sunstein and Thaler, Nudge.

39. Sapience, “People Analytics @ Work,” Advertisement.

40. Itamar Gilad, “A new inbox that puts you back in control,” Official Gmail Blog, May 29, 2013.

41. Quentin Hardy, “Google’s calendar now finds spare time and fills it up,” New York Times, April 13, 2016.

42. Chris Weller, “I tried a new app designed to curb obsessive cell phone use—and it’s already working wonders,”
Business Insider, April 4, 2017.

43. Koushiki Choudhury, Managing Workplace Stress: The Cognitive Behavioural Way (Springer, 2013).

44. Shanil Ebrahim and Timothy Murphy, “Think slower: How behavioral science can improve decision making in the
workplace,” Deloitte Review 18, January 25, 2016.

45. Megan Molteni, “The chatbot therapist will see you now,” Wired, June 7, 2017.

46. Nudge blog, “Eco reminders for your light switches,” February 11, 2011; Jeana Lee Tahnk, “text4baby sends free
informational text messages during your pregnancy and baby’s first year,” Parenting, accessed February 2, 2018.

47. Todd Rogers, Katherine L. Milkman, and Kevin G. Volpp, “Commitment Devices: Using Initiatives to change behav-
iors,” Journal of American Medical Association 311, no. 20 (2014): pp. 2065–2066.

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 Designing work environments for digital well-being

48. Luke Dormehl, “Flowlight is an office traffic light system that lets coworkers know when you’re too busy to talk,”
Digital Trends, May 2, 2017.

49. Arianna Huffington, “Introducing the Thrive app: We’re partnering with Samsung to help you disconnect with
others, and reconnect with yourself,” Thrive Global, October 19, 2017.

50. In Misbehaving, Richard Thaler reports that while co-authoring Nudge with Cass Sunstein, the breakthrough idea
of choice architecture came from rereading Don Norman’s classic book The Psychology of Everyday Things (New
York: Basic, 1988).

51. Robert B. Cialdini, Influence: Science and Practice (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2001).

52. N. J. Goldstein, R. B. Cialdini, and V. Griskevicius, “A room with a viewpoint: Using social norms to motivate envi-
ronmental conservation in hotels,” Journal of Consumer Research 35, no.3 (2008): pp. 472–482.

53. See for example David Halpern, Inside the Nudge Unit (WH Allen, 2015) or Thaler and Sunstein, Nudge.

54. Megan Gibson, “Here’s a radical way to end vacation email overload,” Time, August 15, 2014.

55. Cialdini, Influence: Science and Practice.

56. Hub, “Johns Hopkins recognized for work-life effectiveness,” February 12, 2016.

57. Some of this research is reviewed in Sarah Guminski, “Healthy habits: Using behavioral science in health policy,”
Chicago Policy Review, February 8, 2017.

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Positive technology

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

CONNOR JOYCE

Connor Joyce is a Human Capital Business Analyst, and a member of the Human Resource Transfor-
mation practice. Connor’s research interests focus on creating workplaces that can adapt to the future
of work and the effect of automation on the global workforce. He has worked on a variety of projects
ranging from big system implementations to university research collaborations. Connor graduated from
Illinois State University with a double major in human resources management and psychology.

JEN FISHER

Jen Fisher currently serves as the national managing director for Well-Being at Deloitte. As Deloitte’s
well-being leader, Jen drives the strategy and innovation around work-life, health, and wellness to em-
power Deloitte’s people to be well in all aspects of their lives. Jen is the recipient of the 2017 Ted Childs
Life Work Excellence Award for creating a lasting impact on Deloitte’s culture, benefits, and the well-
being of all its professionals. As a breast cancer survivor, Jen is an advocate for women’s health and pas-
sionate about living a healthy lifestyle. Jen received her BS in business management, University of Miami,
and is a United Way of Miami-Dade Young Leader.

JIM GUSZCZA

Jim Guszcza is the US chief data scientist of Deloitte Consulting, and a member of Deloitte’s Advanced
Analytics and Modeling practice. Jim has extensive experience applying predictive analytics techniques
in a variety of public and private sector domains. He has also spearheaded Deloitte’s use of behavioral
nudge tactics to more effectively act on model indications and prompt behavior change. Jim is a former
professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison business school, and he holds a PhD in the Philosophy
of Science from The University of Chicago. Jim is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and on its
board of directors. Jim is based in Santa Monica, California.

SUSAN K. HOGAN

Susan K. Hogan is a researcher with Deloitte’s Center for Integrated Research. Susan’s research focuses
on behavioral economics, consumer behavior, and the future of work, and how these issues impact the
customer experience, employee engagement, loyalty, and incentives. Prior to joining Deloitte, Susan was
on the marketing faculty at Emory Goizueta business school where she taught consumer behavior, non-
profit consulting, and entertainment, media, and sports at both the graduate (MBA) and undergraduate
levels. Susan holds an MBA in finance from Stern (NYU) and a PhD from Wharton (UPenn). She is cur-
rently based in Atlanta, Georgia.

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 Designing work environments for digital well-being

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank Luke Collins, Jonathan Holdowsky, Junko Kaji, Ramani Moses,
Brenna Sniderman, and Jon Krause for their contributions. And, all of those who served along the way
as sounding boards to increase employee well-being at work!

CONTACTS

Jen Fisher Jim Guszcza

US well-being leader US chief data scientist
Deloitte LLP Deloitte Consulting LLP
+1 305 808 2410 +1 310 883 4042
[email protected] [email protected]

Connor M. Joyce Susan K. Hogan

Human Capital analyst Center for Integrated Research
Deloitte Consulting LLP Deloitte Services LP
+1 312 244 0034 +1 404 822 3957
[email protected] [email protected]

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