<p>Despite the growing body of literature on the implications of after-hours work connectivity for employees’ work-life boundaries, such communications are in escalation. This study brings together the conceptual fields of work connectivity and identity to explore the drivers sustaining employees’ after-hours communications with intragroup members. Through the analysis of narratives from academics, the findings reveal perceived professional and social benefits as key players in sustaining such behaviours. We found that this dual benefit renders an ‘entangled identity’ in which employees enact professional and social identities simultaneously, complicating disconnection from work. We propose a four-quadrant model demonstrating the dynamic nature of this entangled identity as it is sustained by the benefits sought and the perceived workload. The study concludes that after-hours connectivity is not harmful per se, arguing for a shift in focus toward perceived workload as a key factor underpinning and triggering undesirable implications; The study offers two contributions: (1) advancing debate on implications of after-hours connectivity for employees’ work-life balance; and (2) unpacking the complexity of identity and its role in employees’ connectivity behaviours.</p>