Website problems don’t switch off at 5pm

When a website breaks, the problem is usually described as technical. A bug. An error. A temporary issue.

For the people behind the business, it rarely feels technical.

A broken checkout, missing enquiries, or a site that suddenly slows down can trigger immediate anxiety. Sales drop without explanation. Notifications go quiet. You start checking dashboards more often than you should, hoping the numbers change.

That uncertainty is exhausting.

People begin to worry about money, about reputation, about whether customers are quietly losing trust. Even short periods of downtime can create a sense of panic because there’s no clear end point. You don’t know if it’s a small issue or the start of something bigger.

Over time, that stress builds. Sleep suffers. Focus drops. Decision making becomes harder. Small problems feel heavier than they should because there’s already too much mental load.

There’s also a lot of self-blame. Many business owners assume they’ve made the wrong choice somewhere. The wrong platform. The wrong provider. The wrong decision at the wrong time. Even when the issue isn’t their fault, it can still feel personal.

What makes it worse is that people often feel they have to stay calm and professional. They don’t want to sound panicked. They don’t want to be seen as difficult. So the anxiety gets carried quietly while the business keeps moving.

We see that impact up close.

Behind every “is this urgent” message is someone who’s already under pressure. Someone worrying about income, customers, or letting people down. When a website is central to a business, instability affects mental wellbeing just as much as it affects performance.

That’s why empathy matters when things go wrong.