Large corporations are trying to help workers avoid burnout. They are being creative in their attempts to protect workers from themselves.  Volkswagen turns off employees email 30 minutes after their shift ends. Goldman Sachs is urging staff to take weekends off. BMW is planning new rules to keep workers from being contacted after hours.

They are realizing that employees must be able to escape from work. It’s not completely altruistic. This industry response is to stop the trend of employees turning up but not delivering anything. Information overload costs businesses about 1 trillion in time lost to needless emails and other distractions.  So they are vested in how to keep those who are left after the recession from burning out.

Some strategies at play: making people feel less at risk in their jobs. Less contract workers and more permanent employees. Encouraging them to take weekends off. Emphasizing that employment is a marathon not a sprint.

Businesses are concerned about losing valuable workers to companies with better work/ life balance. Technology has helped us be more efficient and created more stress. It has eliminated down time that used to be built into the day so we were not working constantly.

It all comes down to balance and realizing that people need to be treated well. There was a study done years ago asking people if they would rather receive a raise or feel appreciated by their companies. I think you know what won! When we feel appreciation we have energy. We want to go to work and contribute. Burn out doesn’t have to happen. Take your own time out. You are capable of unplugging. Someone has to stop competing with 80 hour workweeks and unending “checking in” with work. Why not be the first to do this? What is stopping you???

Here’s to balance! Ardis