Most of us are within arm's reach of our devices at any given time. We've enabled this and it’s the new norm.
Companies have handed out devices with the expectation that they are on and being used. After hours requirements may be spoken or unspoken. Or maybe they're not requirements at all?
Despite the time of day, somebody is researching a small business’ services and requesting a price. And oftentimes, the person that responds first is the one that gets the sale, - especially when it comes to personal products and services.
How does this all play into providing distraction-free time after the work day is done?
The federal government is looking at legislation to update their Code as to the requirements of after-hours responses because of issues such as overtime (by being compulsively connected) and the general work-life balance consideration(Please note, this is pertaining to Federal Workers regulated by the Canada Labour Code. Examples being chartered banks, aircraft operations, federal public service, post offices, etc).
Concerns around putting this idea into policy include:
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Some employees choose not to disconnect,
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We have evolved as a workforce and now provide flexible work schedules which means not everyone works a 9-5
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Operations don’t cease to run after 5 pm and some issues still need to be dealt with immediately.
The concept of always being “on” is a difficult one. An individual may be working late and send out emails without any intention of people responding back. But those emails get read. Even if the individual does not respond back till the next day, their brains resort back to work when they should be appreciating life outside of the office. It's not the intention of the sender, but it can be the result.
Perhaps as the loyal, hard-working individuals that we are, we have started making them requirements in our own mind. As humans, we love to feel needed. Is that part of the problem? Do we (secretly) enjoy the feeling of being needed at all hours of the day? That we are the person who can answer the question that no one else can? Could this be one of the underlying reasons we have come to the place where we are federally mandating after-hours responses?
Tips for Balancing After Hours Tech Use
As the private sector, what can we do? Start by establishing the tech culture for your organization.
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Set your email to only send out at certain times. If something comes to mind at 9 pm and you want to send it out before you forget, it will auto send at a set time, such as 6 a.m. the next morning.
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Implement “do not disturb hours” within your organization.
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Ask for feedback and ideas from your frontline workers. They often have the best solutions!
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Check out Apps like OFFTIME that lets you restrict access to any apps and limit your phone usage. Make exceptions for the people important to you, or send out custom auto-replies that let others know when you’re back on the grid. It includes an activity log for a comprehensive list of everything that happened while you were in your OFFTIME zone.
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Maximize your office hours. If you feel productive during the day, you are less likely to excuse after-hours work.
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Define your personal boundaries
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Model it. People notice if you are calling in for an unimportant meeting or responding to menial emails while on vacation. They will assume that is what the culture is.
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If there is an emergency, call. If it’s not important to call, it can wait. This alleviates your team from thinking important things happen by email.
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If you promote a culture that values work boundaries, but you email employees on weekends, they'll clue into the contradiction. They are watching the time stamp.
What are some tips you would use in your workplace?
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