By Tiffani Martinez, Human Resource Director – Otter PR
Today’s business world is so connected that people can get in touch with each other at nearly all times, no matter where they are in the world.
Being constantly reachable makes it challenging to strike an effective and healthy work-family balance, however. Indeed, Dr. Archana Manapragada Tedone, a researcher at the University of Baltimore, has found that answering work-related emails during off hours has “negative implications for work/family balance and wellbeing for both in-office workers and those required to WFH [work from home].” For this reason, more than 12 countries have passed laws enforcing employees’ “right to disconnect.”
Cutting-edge HR strategies can help ensure employees can care for their personal lives while bringing their best selves to your business. Here are my top tips for business leaders and professionals who want to effectively and properly leverage connectivity.
Understanding the value of healthy boundaries
According to Dr. Tedone, employees should avoid responding to work-related emails during non-work hours to preserve their energy, morale, and well-being. For those who cannot avoid doing this, she recommends designating a specific time window during off hours for answering work-related emails rather than trying to respond to new messages as they stream in. Failing to do this can generate a feeling of always being “on,” which is draining.
Buy-in from management and leadership is necessary to support employees who create boundaries of this nature. Without it, employees who attempt to preserve their resources through boundary setting could feel pressured to adopt their coworkers’ unhealthy practices.
Perhaps the best way leaders and managers can signal their support for healthy boundaries is by utilizing them themselves. Employees often look to those in authority to set the standard, so when someone in the C-Suite models how to set clear boundaries, it speaks volumes. As Harvard instructor Michael McCarthy explains, “Corporate culture starts at the top. When people throughout the organization see senior leadership living the values, they will follow suit.”
Creating a healthy corporate culture
However, recognizing and supporting employees’ boundaries is just the beginning. Savvy business leaders must also foster a corporate culture in which employees feel comfortable communicating their needs in general. This means creating feelings of belonging and psychological safety in the workplace so that employees feel safe opening up and expressing what they truly think.
Nurturing this kind of environment doesn’t just benefit employees — it also buoys the entire organization. Harvard Business Review has associated corporate cultures characterized by psychological safety with improved teamwork and creativity, and a Salesforce survey has shown that employees report feeling 4.6 times more likely to perform at their best if their voices have been heard in the workplace. Additionally, McKinsey & Company has found that when workers are included in workplace discussions, their productivity is five times more likely to increase.
Trust and empower employees
When employees have control over how they do their work, their job satisfaction goes up. Indeed, a 2023 study also suggests they can even develop a passion for their position. Under these conditions, “a job is no longer only regarded as a way to obtain financial rewards, but also as an approach to realize one’s self-worth, express one’s own assertion, and enhance one’s well-being,” the study’s authors write. Workers’ work-family balance also improves.
That’s why managers and business leaders should empower employees and give them autonomy in the workplace. This means trusting employees to shape their roles in the ways that work best for them, completing their tasks according to their own methods, and determining their own priorities.
Again, this approach benefits the whole organization, not just the employees themselves. Research correlates employees’ autonomy on the job not only with a healthier work-family balance but also with heightened productivity, creativity, and retention.
Offer schedule flexibility
Healthy boundaries, psychologically safe work environments, and autonomy go hand-in-hand with another important tool in the effective HR kit: offering flexible work options like remote work or personalized hours. When you give employees control over their schedules, they can manage their personal commitments more effectively, which improves their overall well-being.
Indeed, studies indicate that today’s workers have even come to expect flexibility from their employers. According to a Randstad survey, 83 percent of American workers consider flexible schedules to be important, and 74 percent say the same about flexibility of location. McKinsey & Company found that not having flexible work arrangements was the number one reason 44 percent of workers quit their jobs and got a different one.
Yet again, evidence suggests that affording employees flexibility pays off for their employers. Part of the reason is that since employees can choose to work when and where they are most productive, the business naturally achieves higher productivity. Another reason is that when employees don’t have to commute, they can use that time in ways that facilitate their optimal work-family balance. Flexibility has also been associated with improved employee engagement.
Boosting your business
We may live in an always-connected world, but that doesn’t mean employees should always be reachable. By following the above best practices, business leaders and managers can keep their team members operating at their highest levels, and their businesses will get a considerable boost in return.
About the Author
Tiffani Martinez is the Human Resource Director at Otter PR. A native Floridian, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from Keiser University with a BA in Business Management and a focus in Human Resource Management. Tiffani excels at putting the “human” back into “Human Resources.” She comes from a non-profit and Property and Casualty insurance background with focused knowledge of the needs of Florida residents. Her tenure in the non-profit sector led her to manage one of the largest churches in the nation, with more than 2,000 members. Conflict management is her passion. She strives to take in all perspectives, ensuring all parties are respected and heard with fairness and empathy.
