Appreciate this, Jen! It is sad to recognize that for many work has fully subsumed our lives. I'm glad you did share your perspective, because while I believe we have to take some responsibility for setting our own boundaries and setting our own practices for more sustainability, the reality is we need organizations to do their part, too. We can't do it alone; organizational cultural norms matter. We need to shift away from the "ideal worker" perspective that we are always on and build new norms that create space for life and foster sustainability.
First of all, I LOVE what you are doing and really enjoy your writing. I appreciate you choosing to share this post instead of sitting on it. I have been wrestling with this so much lately. As a life and leadership coach who works with both private clients and corporate clients, I've become more and more concerned, sad, and honestly, mad, at the ever-increasing demands and expectations on employees' availability, pace, and productivity. Demands were high before the pandemic. Then shifted and became demanding in a new and different way during the pandemic. And now that the pandemic is over, it's just gotten even harder for many as companies navigate changing workplace expectations of remote, fully in office, or hybrid. As I work with private clients, often in leadership positions, to redefine success and create a more satisfying and fulfilling work/life "blend", we often talk about whether the current pace, workload and demands of their time and attention is even reasonable or sustainable. I have worked with so many people who have told me about the important life events they've either missed completely, or were less than present for during, due to both external expectations (from the company and/or boss) and internal expectations (from themselves as high-achievers, people pleasers, or fear of impact of not fully disengaging). When I work with corporate clients on team communication and well-being programs, I often feel like what I am doing is simply serving as a band-aide. The root of the issues are not being addressed, which is resetting work/life balance norms that provide for employees to have the time to live their lives outside of work without demands or distractions from their job. The best companies know that real change comes from EVERYONE creating the culture: The company committing to and communicating reasonable and sustainable work/life balance norms, the leadership modeling and managing the agreed upon norms, the team assessing how they help or hinder those healthy work/life balance norms and agreeing to their own team commitments , and the individual taking ownership and reasonability for planning and practicing their personal health and happiness habits, including setting and communicating their own boundaries. Too many people are burning themselves out and missing some of the most important experiences and moments of their lives (and I am not even talking about the BIG moments) that they can never get back. They are negatively impacting their health, happiness, and most important relationships often for a company that can decide in one moment that they are not needed anymore. Although I see lots of self-employed business owners doing it too! I am committed to helping as many people as I can take back control of their health and happiness by finding a way to create both a satisfying and successful professional life AND a present and fulfilling personal life. It may not be easy, but it is possible. And I LOVE seeing and hearing the difference in my clients when they get clear about what's most important to them, they create reasonable boundaries, and they can begin to feel more connected and engaged for the experiences and people that matter to them the most. Although I say all of this knowing I am singing to the choir!
I could not agree with this more, though I'm saddened that there was apprehension to publish. As someone who nearly worked themselves to death a few years ago, I honestly think we should reclaim more time, not just for the big events. Having time away from work at the end of every workday not only allows us to witness some of those everyday events, but allows us to recharge and be better and more focused when we return to work. Being "on" 24/7/365 is not normal for humans. We need to stop pretending like it is.
I understand and appreciate the sentiment, but it's all about finding the balance. In my post retirement from Uncle D, I have joined an organization that frowns on sending messages on the weekends and after hours. No one in 3 years has said a thing about the schedule I keep or the vacation I take. There is always stress involved working in levels of middle to upper management, but given the lucrative compensation and lifestyle I don't find it problematic to check my phone a few times in the evening just in case.
It's a trade off. I could have taken a job on an hourly basis at a local grocery store if I didn't want stress, but I chose to remain in professional services in a challenging position. I am paid well and get to work/consult on interesting issues. One day I will be fully retired again and then the only peaking I will do is for sports scores and iMDB to see where I knew that face before.
Appreciate this, Jen! It is sad to recognize that for many work has fully subsumed our lives. I'm glad you did share your perspective, because while I believe we have to take some responsibility for setting our own boundaries and setting our own practices for more sustainability, the reality is we need organizations to do their part, too. We can't do it alone; organizational cultural norms matter. We need to shift away from the "ideal worker" perspective that we are always on and build new norms that create space for life and foster sustainability.
Thank you so much for sharing this
First of all, I LOVE what you are doing and really enjoy your writing. I appreciate you choosing to share this post instead of sitting on it. I have been wrestling with this so much lately. As a life and leadership coach who works with both private clients and corporate clients, I've become more and more concerned, sad, and honestly, mad, at the ever-increasing demands and expectations on employees' availability, pace, and productivity. Demands were high before the pandemic. Then shifted and became demanding in a new and different way during the pandemic. And now that the pandemic is over, it's just gotten even harder for many as companies navigate changing workplace expectations of remote, fully in office, or hybrid. As I work with private clients, often in leadership positions, to redefine success and create a more satisfying and fulfilling work/life "blend", we often talk about whether the current pace, workload and demands of their time and attention is even reasonable or sustainable. I have worked with so many people who have told me about the important life events they've either missed completely, or were less than present for during, due to both external expectations (from the company and/or boss) and internal expectations (from themselves as high-achievers, people pleasers, or fear of impact of not fully disengaging). When I work with corporate clients on team communication and well-being programs, I often feel like what I am doing is simply serving as a band-aide. The root of the issues are not being addressed, which is resetting work/life balance norms that provide for employees to have the time to live their lives outside of work without demands or distractions from their job. The best companies know that real change comes from EVERYONE creating the culture: The company committing to and communicating reasonable and sustainable work/life balance norms, the leadership modeling and managing the agreed upon norms, the team assessing how they help or hinder those healthy work/life balance norms and agreeing to their own team commitments , and the individual taking ownership and reasonability for planning and practicing their personal health and happiness habits, including setting and communicating their own boundaries. Too many people are burning themselves out and missing some of the most important experiences and moments of their lives (and I am not even talking about the BIG moments) that they can never get back. They are negatively impacting their health, happiness, and most important relationships often for a company that can decide in one moment that they are not needed anymore. Although I see lots of self-employed business owners doing it too! I am committed to helping as many people as I can take back control of their health and happiness by finding a way to create both a satisfying and successful professional life AND a present and fulfilling personal life. It may not be easy, but it is possible. And I LOVE seeing and hearing the difference in my clients when they get clear about what's most important to them, they create reasonable boundaries, and they can begin to feel more connected and engaged for the experiences and people that matter to them the most. Although I say all of this knowing I am singing to the choir!
Thank you Nicola. 🩷
Beautifully said.
I could not agree with this more, though I'm saddened that there was apprehension to publish. As someone who nearly worked themselves to death a few years ago, I honestly think we should reclaim more time, not just for the big events. Having time away from work at the end of every workday not only allows us to witness some of those everyday events, but allows us to recharge and be better and more focused when we return to work. Being "on" 24/7/365 is not normal for humans. We need to stop pretending like it is.
👏👏👏
I understand and appreciate the sentiment, but it's all about finding the balance. In my post retirement from Uncle D, I have joined an organization that frowns on sending messages on the weekends and after hours. No one in 3 years has said a thing about the schedule I keep or the vacation I take. There is always stress involved working in levels of middle to upper management, but given the lucrative compensation and lifestyle I don't find it problematic to check my phone a few times in the evening just in case.
It's a trade off. I could have taken a job on an hourly basis at a local grocery store if I didn't want stress, but I chose to remain in professional services in a challenging position. I am paid well and get to work/consult on interesting issues. One day I will be fully retired again and then the only peaking I will do is for sports scores and iMDB to see where I knew that face before.
Thanks Adam. Appreciate you sharing your experiences.