Does Modern Tech Help or Hinder Your Work-Life Balance?

As leaders, we have the responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of ourselves and our teams is catered for and, as a result, are able to perform at our best. But in today’s interconnected world, work-life balance is becoming more and more difficult to manage.

We are expected to be reachable at all times. Research shows this is damaging to productivity, engagement and is putting higher levels of strain on teams. Both employers and employees have a responsibility to set guidelines and actively dissuade the development of the always accessible culture within your organisation.


But first, let's look at the positives.
 

It is important to set boundaries. Ensure your time off is time off and be disciplined in the hours you do out of the office. Yes, work from home. Yes, do a couple of hours in the evenings if you must. But when you are done, turn off, unplug and leave work at work.

Other things to do to conquer the technological temptation:

- Get a real alarm clock so you can turn your phone off

- ‘Lose’ your laptop charger (just kidding)

- Set yourself clear and reachable goals and when these have been achieved, switch off

- Allocated strict times for work and home and stick to it!


Leave the house and don’t take your phone (or get one of those unbreakable old Nokia’s that don’t have internet or 4G, you can only call. If you want to send a message, make sure you set aside five hours to battle old-school texting.)
 

Work can provide tools and implement a culture of boundaries to help manage our work-life balance. Well rested employees with lower stress-levels are and will always be happier, more productive and successful at work. And, when it comes to attracting and retaining quality staff, having the tools in place to promote a healthy work-life balance is extremely beneficial for your organisation.

 

Written by Helen Turnbull, a Senior Conference Producer at Liquid Learning.