How disconnection can benefit both employers and employees

Do you want to be a creative, engaged and productive leader? Then resist the temptation to dash off late-night and weekend emails and texts to your staff. It’s about the message it sends to your team, and it’s about your perspective on your work,

A few years back, Maura Thomas noted in a Harvard Business Review article that “when employees are constantly monitoring their email after work hours — whether this is due to a fear of missing something from you, or because they are addicted to their devices — they are missing out on essential down time that brains need.”

A recent Business News Daily article agrees that when employees feel they must always be “on,” their productivity and efficiency are negatively impacted. And then, of course, there is the negative impact on physical and mental health.

That goes for management as well! If you stay constantly connected, you’re missing an opportunity to take a step away from work. If management sets an expectation of setting boundaries, employees will feel that it is okay to disconnect from work to focus on personal relationships. As a result, your business will benefit by having employees who are more engaged and more productive.

Here are four things you can do to help create a healthy work climate:

• Be clear about expectations for email and other communications. If downtime is important, make sure your team knows that!
• Tell those who have to share their brainstorms at night or on weekends to put them in draft form until morning or schedule the emails to send during work hours. Also, encourage employees to set Do Not Disturb hours for incoming emails and text messages.
• Cultivate attention management skills as much as you emphasize time management. Multi-tasking is an enemy of attention management!
• Talk about the benefit of presence and model that behavior by putting away your devices during meetings. Focus on the people in the room.

There are many benefits associated with maintaining a healthy work-life balance, both for employers and employees. A good work-life balance can lead to increased productivity, improved mental and physical health and reduced stress levels. It can also improve job satisfaction and motivation and lead to better decision-making.

Remember, creating a healthy work-life balance is essential for both employers and employees to achieve success.