Work and personal life have become intertwined: Can we unblur the line?

Although the “right to disconnect” legislation has been introduced, employees still struggle to juggle the work/life balance.

In today’s working environment, the boundary between work and personal life has become increasingly blurred, exacerbating feelings of being overwhelmed, overworked and burnt out. This can become inescapable when your job is only an email notification away.

A recent report by Dropbox has shown that 63 per cent of Australian workers feel obliged to be accessible at all times. The “right to disconnect” legislation has, of course, opened the door for Aussie workers to legally escape this feeling, empowering them to reclaim control over their downtime by declining work-related communication outside of their working hours.

However, this now-established structure can be hard to get out of, especially if an individual still holds those feelings of being compelled to work outside of their hours. Dropbox has delivered some insights that may help individuals establish healthier boundaries and break free from the pervasive always-on work culture:

1. Use status indicators and do-not-disturb modes effectively: The same status indicators that signal constant availability can be used to communicate when you’re not available. Most work apps and email systems have do-not-disturb and sleep modes, allowing you to choose when you receive notifications. Although this adjustment might seem minor, it can significantly reduce the temptation to respond to work communications during your personal time.
2. Leverage scheduled send features: Scheduling your messages to send during work hours means that you aren’t hitting folks with notifications while they’re out for dinner or after they’ve put on their PJs, even if you’re the one putting in some extra time off the clock. It’s very rare that any message you’re sending out can’t wait until the morning.
3. Have a separate device for work and personal use: Separate your work and personal life by using different devices when possible. A distinct computer or phone for work helps keep job notifications separate from personal ones. If it’s not feasible to have separate devices, try allocating specific hours for work and personal activities on the same device.
4. Set personal boundaries and be consistent about them. Creating a solid work/life balance starts with establishing boundaries for yourself and sticking to them. Recognising and abolishing behaviours that fall outside those boundaries is the next step.
5. Wind-down routines aren’t just pre-bedtime activities: They’re a series of tasks you do to wrap up each workday, signalling to your brain that you’re transitioning to “life” mode, especially important in the work-from-home era. This could be stretching or other activities that take you away from your device.

Along with these steps, freeing yourself from that guilty conscience when it comes to not working outside of your hours is an important internal journey. That guilty feeling of thinking that you’re letting someone down or making more work for yourself the following day are unfair criticism that employees often hang over their own heads, which can deeply affect their mental state.

That sense of responsibility, if unchecked, can overload a worker and lead to serious burnout. According to Forbes, here are seven ways to emotionally detach from work and relax without having that guilty conscience:

1. View relaxation as an investment.
2. Be a role model for your team.
3. Don’t rush into relaxation: take it slow.
4. Separate your feelings from your work identity.
5. Refocus your mind: don’t obsess about all the tasks that aren’t done.
6. Set expectations and have contingencies if it’s an emergency.
7. Create friction: delete email apps if need be.

Kace O'Neill

Kace O'Neill is a Graduate Journalist for HR Leader. Kace studied Media Communications and Maori studies at the University of Otago, he has a passion for sports and storytelling.