One of the best things I’ve ever done for myself (and HR Resolutions) was to turn off my darned notifications—texts, Slack, Teams, email…you name it, it doesn’t ping me. You know why? Because I’m like Pavlov’s dogs with that dang ping. ALL my attention is immediately diverted. I could be sleeping, working on a client project, attending or teaching a webinar—PING!—and there I am! I’m sure most of you know exactly what I mean.
So, I’ve turned them all off on all my devices.
My technology has, mostly, stopped managing my time. Now I manage my technology. I even have a (lofty) goal of only touching email 3x a day at the most. Granted, I have the good fortune of having an assistant who also manages my email. And, after work? Well, before I discovered TikTok, my phone went on the peninsula and was upside down so that I didn’t even think about it until the next day.
In reviewing one of my past blogs, it amazes me how far technology has come since I started HR Resolutions in 2005. At that time, I had to rush home from after-hours business events and open the computer email to make sure nothing had “happened” with my clients while I was absent. Today? I’m writing this blog update from Dewey Beach, DE, because I can be connected whenever and wherever I choose to work. In fact, I spent all of October in Delaware. (For those of you who don’t know, my company is based in Harrisburg, PA!)
This is all well and good for me. What about for my employees?
- They are supplied with company phones, so they have no need to use their personal phones for business.
- They are encouraged to “time block” administrative time which is different from client support time.
- We’ve implemented a ticketing system this year that has greatly reduced the number of emails we each receive, but still enables us all to stay up to date on any client issue.
- They are NOT to check email (or tickets or voicemails) when they are off work—this includes evenings, weekends, and paid time off.
- They are encouraged to turn off notifications so they can focus on the task at hand.
- They may work whatever hours work for them and from wherever they would like to work as long as the client work is handled.
- They know I do NOT expect an answer from any email that I send when I’m working off hours.
I see and hear so much about how people feel they have to answer immediately when they get an email. Society has created an instant gratification entitlement, but consider the pressure that puts on employees when they aren’t at work. (And don’t forget, if they aren’t salaried, you need to pay them for reading and responding to that after-hours/weekend email. You are the one making them work.)
We want to know:
Do you sleep with your cell phone next to your bed? Or is it charging somewhere else out of reach and ping? Submit a comment below to let us know what you do. Everyone who responds will be entered to win a $10.00 Starbucks gift card. (We suggest decaf after 5:00 p.m.!)