New research shows that almost half of Gen Z (46 per cent) would choose to be ‘severed’ if they could.

The research, conducted by workplace mental health platform Unmind, revealed that a sizable proportion of the UK workforce would choose to divide their work and personal memories. Overall, 35 per cent of Brits wish they could be severed.

It’s worth stressing that Severance does not condone severance: as viewers of the show will know, Lumon uses the innies’ ignorance to exploit them in breathtakingly evil ways (and it’s clear that the ‘macrodata refinement team’ are unwittingly being made to work on something nefarious). We shouldn’t be aspiring merely to forget about the drudgery of work entirely – we should be aspiring to create a world where work is fulfilling, well-paid, and secure for everyone.

But it’s easy to see the appeal of severance, with growing numbers of us feeling overwhelmed by work in the current late-capitalist landscape. The study also found that two in five (41 per cent) of employees struggle to switch off from work when they’re not there. A similar proportion (40 per cent) say their employer has contacted them outside of working hours and almost half (44 per cent) regularly check their work emails when they’re off the clock. 

In addition, one in three (33 per cent) of all employees have pretended to be busy at work to appear productive, rising to almost half (47 per cent) of Gen Z – a phenomenon known as ‘taskmasking’.

The data also found that many people feel compelled to hide their true identities in the office. Over a third (38 per cent) of respondents reported having a ‘work persona’ that is different from their ‘real’ self, rising to 52 per cent of Gen Z. At the same time, almost a third (30 per cent) feel that their job takes up too much of their identity, making it difficult to separate their professional and personal lives. Again, this proportion rises to 44 per cent of Gen Z.

Overall, 56 per cent of people are happy with their work-life balance, with 29 per cent having considered quitting their job due to a poor work-life balance and 36 per cent feeling guilty for taking time off work.

Dr Nick Taylor, CEO and co-founder of Unmind, said: “This research is a stark reminder of the stress and pressure people face today. No one should feel the need to completely forget about their work lives just to cope. Rather than employees feeling they need to disconnect entirely from work to protect their mental health, leaders should build cultures where people feel able to bring their whole selves to work without feeling overwhelmed or burnt out.”