Work Life Balance: Phone Stress
Organizations often promote the benefits of supporting employees with activities and behaviours that will help employees achieve or maintain work life balance.
Leaders of organizations do this by role modeling positive work life balance behaviours in an effort to preserve the health and sustainability of their workforce.
One such behaviour that requires consideration by leaders is use of cell phones, email and/or other social networks.
For example, there is a theory that stress comes from constantly checking the phone for social networking updates. And, as the person’s stress level increases so does the compulsion to continue to check social networks for updates. The domino effect of this is that recipients of communications also feel compelled to respond to communication updates which further fuels the cycle of no one being able to disengage from the workplace and “rest”.
Organizations will not flourish if their employees are stressed, irrespective of the source of stress, so it is in the organization’s interest to encourage employees to switch their phones off; cut the number of work emails sent out after hours in order to reduce people’s temptation or perceived need to check their phones for email.
Leaders of organizations can help by refraining from sending emails out after hours and during vacations. It stands to reason leaders might monitor their email for emergencies but in order to set a good example for their followers they should shut their phone off after hours or while away on vacation, assign a designate contact and/or not respond to communications that do not require an immediate response.
Leaders that practice these behaviours send the following message to their followers;
- Everyone is equally entitled to take a break from work and it is possible to disengage, relax and direct one’s focus to personal time that includes attention to one’s self, friends and family.
- I trust my people; others are capable of taking care of things while I am away.
- Being a leader with significant responsibility isn’t 24/7, it is NOT all about work.
Organizations that promote this type of positive role modeling are also more apt to have employees step up to support an organization’s plans for succession; especially if employees see that the organization’s priority is to respect and care for their people’s personal space; and taking that next step on the ladder doesn’t mean one is expected to sacrifice their personal life.
— Debbie Olinyk, WJS Chief of Human Resources