Workplace Integration: A gain or drain on well-being?
By Dr.J.J.Savithri
Today the boundaries between one’s
professional and personal life are clouding. Technology has revolutionized the
way we interact with each other, allowing us to stay connected 24/7 to our
colleagues and bosses. Smartphones make connecting to others more flexible
and convenient. This is why organizations are gradually replacing face-to-face
communication with email and texting. Contrarily
few of us completely unplug when we return home, or even when we’re on holiday.
The
Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers need to learn from the millennials on
blending the different areas of their lives. It is feasible to go to parents teachers meeting in your child’s school and
at the same time check and answer office e-mails or take that vacation you’ve
been waiting for while conferencing into the daily meeting. According
to a study, 42 percent of employees feel 'obligated' to check emails
during vacation.
The question is,
is it a gain or drain on our well-being?
A Gallup survey
revealed that 17% of engaged employees report better overall lives as there is
better work life integration. However, psychologists caution that the benefits
come at a cost of our mental and physical health. Employees who check emails
and text messages frequently report having developed “telepressure”.
Journal of
Occupational Health Psychology defines telepressure as “an urge to respond to
work-related emails and messages no matter when they’re sent.” This tendency to feel internal pressure to always be connected
leads to lesser me – time. Work bleeding over family time affects
relationships, causing undue stress and guilt. Ultimately, placing employees at
the risk of burnout, ill heath, absenteeism and poor performance.
The use of mobile
technology away from work is an advantage rather than a deterrent, probably
because of the flexibility it invites. Employers need to establish a supportive
work environment that supports without feeling extra stress.
How to achieve effective work life integration
·
Set Boundaries: Stop making yourself available to work 24/7. Create clear
boundaries between work and home by carrying a separate cell phone for the job
if possible.
· Share the Load: Don’t require yourself to do everything. Ask for help
when you need it.
· Lead from your Strengths: Identify those strong traits that can apply to both your
personal and professional life and then use them to navigate your work.
· Practice self-care: Other
than work and family make some time for self. Do not compromise on good
nutrition, ample rest, regular exercise and some positive self-talk.
· Get unplugged: Plan
out to be technology-free or unplugged atleast once in a while, as we do need a
digital detox at some point.
Tips for a digital detox
·
Begin
with a digital diet
· Never
use your smartphone as an alarm clock this will help you avoid the temptation
of checking messages or emails early in the morning
·
Build
your self-discipline to stop your impulses from dictating your choices.
·
Keep
people informed about your digital detox schedule
The work that we
do is evolving, so are workplace practices. It is not possible to get it
all-performing well at work while being able to spend quality time with family.
Hence making the two worlds to meet may seem impossible and even ineffective.
Learn to accept the paradox. Nevertheless, work life integration may make more sense and enable you to do the things that
are important to you.
Good Article! Need of the Hour!
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ReplyDeleteExcellent article ! Need to balance it out ! use technology to the advantage , digital detox tips is GOOD !!
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