Disconnect or be damned! How to truly unplug during the holidays
This article was originally posted on LinkedIn on 21st Dec 2021.
Will you be checking your email on Christmas Day? And more importantly, do you have reason to or is it just a habit? Some of you may find the second question redundant. Sure, what does it matter, a quick check or sending a few emails at the weekend?
Written in collaboration with Chris Flack and UnplugHQ.
Occasionally working outside core contracted hours happens when legitimate reasons do sometimes crop up. However, many countries are now adopting a “Right to Disconnect” legislation to encourage this to be the exception rather than the norm. "The right to disconnect can be the catalyst an organisation needs to review its policies. However, a cultural shift that de-stigmatises a less frenetic pace of work and allows employees more control over their personal boundaries will more directly address the problem of overwork" Source: Business Insider
Chris Flack a digital behavioural specialist continues: "Unless we have clear boundaries, we struggle to have psychological detachment. Our brains grapple even more with concepts such as self-interruption as it hasn't indicated that we've left the work zone"
So why wait for the legislation, stop now and consider what both individuals and employers can do to support disconnection and apply these principles in the upcoming holiday period.
For Individual Workers:
Planning to go offline and setting expectations - prepare your disconnect the day or week BEFORE, preparing your Out of Office messages, having any final conversations or exchanges and ensuring your colleagues and clients know your plans. Finally, ensure any work task handovers are completed.
List the benefits - write a list of the benefits of full disconnection, personally and for your work performance and productivity. This list will remind you to stay self-disciplined.
OOO - should mean Out of Office - ensure that out of office is activated on all relevant email accounts and other notifications are clearly set up on any other messaging software.
Out of sight, out of mind - hide away work devices and associated equipment for the duration. If also required, uninstall software on devices.
Lead by example - if your organisation has a tendency for people to be over-connected, be the change you want to see this year.
For Employers and Leaders:
Leaders, please read the above - to lead by example, start by appreciating the above list as it applies to leaders also and equips them to really "walk the talk".
Ensure employees have taken any due annual leave - encouraging that holidays days are taken is a key activity in these final weeks of the year
Verify that your employees know how (exactly!) to disconnect via digital literacy - never assume, check that employees know how to fully disconnect and use OOO messages, notifications and settings. Suggestion: Create a short how-to document and video on how to set-up the various functionalities on both your email client, calendar and instant messaging tools.
Quality downtime matters - can you further embed the message of the importance and benefits of full disconnection by outlining clearly the virtues and positives? Suggested messaging could look like:
When I am OOO, I really am, I don’t check my emails or log back on at all.
To help me switch off fully, I turn on all my out-of-office notifications and pack away work devices during my holidays. I feel so much better on my return to my desk.
I need to set healthy boundaries to enjoy my holiday time. Without these, I could fall victim to Parkinson’s Law, which holds that work expands to fill any time available for its completion.
My intention is to switch off fully, so I prepare carefully the day before my last day of work, ensuring I have mentally completed any outstanding tasks and also writing up clear notes for the pick up/restart on that task, on my return.
To consolidate the above, RoRemote and UnplugHQ have partnered to support organisations and created a toolkit to enable your staff to leverage the new legislation to work smarter, encouraging greater focus at work and ability to switch off at home. Fill in the short form here to access the “Right to Disconnect Operational Plan.
Note: Thanks for your support in 2021 for my new Newsletter! So much positive feedback has been very gratefully received. My last post of 2021 is reminding us all to truly disconnect for the upcoming holidays. Written in collaboration with Chris Flack and UnplugHQ.
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This article was originally posted on LinkedIn on 21st Dec 2021.