Read this post on the SharedHR blog.

A new technique for building employee engagement and meaningful workplace connection is to require employees to deliberately disconnect from work from time to time. As we increasingly rely on devices such as smartphones and email, organizations are discovering that some of their team members have developed a compulsion to check and respond to emails and texts 24/7. The constant habit of checking and responding to work issues can be a slippery slope: an employee who generously offers to make themselves constantly ‘only a text or email away’ is soon expected to respond and be reachable at all times, even when the situation is not urgent.

Companies and employees alike are increasingly noting the downside of this constant connection and taking steps to control the trend before it has a chance to spin valuable team members into burnout.

In her book, Sleeping With Your Smartphone, Harvard Business School Professor Leslie A. Perlow describes an experiment she conducted with a small team at the Boston Consulting Group. The group made up a rotating schedule which included one night per week when one member of the group would be electronically unreachable (cue dramatic music).

This process forced some of them far out of their comfort zone. As a safety net, they adopted a plan where others would review any communication going to the “free” employee. This strengthened their sense of teamwork by requiring them all to trust that the members who were still available would look out for the one who had the night off.

Employees in the group reported feeling more satisfied, empowered, relaxed and productive. The benefits for the employees and the company were a more engaged workforce and better quality communication overall.

Remember, time spent working by non-exempt employees is compensable, even after hours. For exempt and management teams, it may be worthwhile to examine expectations of availability and response times when away from work. Through this process, your organization can make a conscious decision about what makes sense for your business and communicate it clearly to your staff.

Read this post on the SharedHR blog.
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