Always On

I am a big fan of technology and the promise it has to improve life. Since the beginning of my career I have been excited about the possibility of technology giving people the freedom to work from anywhere. Covid has allowed us to finally leverage this possibility and I personally love it. But, there is also a serious shadow side - we are 'always on' and this is something new to manage and talk about. 

My LinkedIn feed is filled with articles about burn-out. It seems that everyone is writing about it and many are feeling it. I myself have been struggling with work invading much of my waking hours with back to back zoom calls with no time to pee. This is crazy, why are we allowing this?

As I think about this, I find my mind in conflict - whose responsibilty is it to manage boundaries in this 'always on' world? 

I believe in personal accountability. I believe in the power of choice and that individuals have the ability to manage their time in way that delivers work results and life enjoyment. But for many, we just aren't doing this. Why?

So as a leader, my mind goes to, is it my responsibility to manage my team's boundaries? It will be different for everyone. Who am I to create arbitrary rules that tell people how to live their life? This flies in the face of the empowering leadership that I wish to be known for. Do I really need to do this?

Where I've landed is that this is a very both/and situation. Yes, individuals AND managers have a responsibility to create boundaries that work for people. This is a brave new world for all of us. One that requires reflection and real conversation and to me, this is the stuff of true leadership. 

Leaders, what actions are you taking in support of your team having boundaries? Are you setting boundaries? This is the time where leading from example matters the most. This is a time where the action you take is what will have real impact, not what you say. Are you sending emails after hours and on weekends? You may be thinking, 'yes, but Jodi, that is when I get my 'work' done - just because I send them doesn't mean they need to respond'. And you are right, but they will think that because you have authority. A simple thing like saving your emails in drafts and sending them during work hours can make a huge difference. 

Are you each talking with your managers about boundaries? Saying no to meetings so that you can get work done? If not, why not? Notice what comes up for you when you consider this question and understand these may be some of the same thoughts that come up for your team. What if you had a conversation about that? 

This takes courage, but it needs to happen. The downside of 'always on' is not the fault of technology, it is the fault of people not managing the technology and it starts with leaders paving the way.