Over the past few years I have been observing a workplace phenomenon with growing concern. I see my clients, their co-workers and employees becoming more stressed and feeling less satisfied with their hard work and long hours. Here’s my take on what’s happening: the impacts of the economic recession have generally led to a “do more with less” context, while at the same time, new technology has enabled an “always on” lifestyle. The increasingly sophisticated capabilities (not to mention, marketing) of mobile devices have bred an expectation that it’s good to be continuously connected. This confluence of factors is having some adverse consequences. We’re learning that the price of continuous connection is higher than we might have realized.
Food for Thought ~
Increasingly, thought leaders on this subject are calling attention to this dilemma. One of the best articles I’ve seen is “The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time” by Tony Schwartz in the Harvard Business Review. He makes several very helpful suggestions that I hope you will consider and then discuss with your co-workers. Leaders will want to add this issue to their organizations’ productivity and performance agendas. It will require a cooperative team effort to institute workable policies and practices that support true productivity. Here’s the link. For a more in-depth study of this subject, Leslie Perlow’s new book will be published in May, Sleeping with your Smart Phone.
Question for the day ~
How does continuous connection affect your stress and satisfaction levels? How might you address this issue in your organization?
Tuesday Minute with Mary Wins All Star Award!
TMwM has received an All Star Award from Constant Contact, the email service that I use to format and publish this newsletter/blog. The award is based on readership statistics and I am delighted to report that my readership is twice the industry average! Only 10% of their customers receive this award, and this is the second year TMwM has earned this distinction.
Thanks for being one of my loyal readers!
Mary