Maintaining a healthy balance between career and personal life has always been a challenge, but the rise of hybrid work has made it even more difficult. With work just a laptop (or even a cell phone) away, it's easy for professional responsibilities to bleed into personal time, leading to burnout and dissatisfaction.
The pandemic normalized remote work, blurring the lines between office and home life. A Wall Street Journal article noted that many people are experiencing work creeping into the weekends, leading to burnout and stress, calling it "the cost of flexibility." This issue has sparked controversial workforce trends like "quiet quitting," "chronoworking," and "NATO applying" as employees seek better work-life boundaries.
In response, lawmakers are pushing for "Right to Disconnect" laws to protect employees from after-hours work contact. A new California bill would make it the first U.S. state to legally prohibit companies from messaging employees outside work hours. Similar laws already exist in countries like Portugal and France.
A recent survey from Clarify Capital shows over 80% of employees support right to disconnect legislation, while business executives are 75% more likely to oppose it. Nearly 60% of employees feel obligated to respond to work communications after hours during personal time.
While legislative solutions are underway, there's a powerful tool available today to help restore career-life balance: ThinkHub visual collaboration software. By providing a centralized platform for team collaboration and communication, ThinkHub reduces needless emails and after-hours work:
- Real-time project collaboration on a persistent digital Canvas avoids endless email chains and confusion
- Web-based tools and Cloud access enable asynchronous collaboration during business hours only
- Video conferencing and calendar integration fosters team connection without demanding face-time at all hours
In the hybrid era, detaching from work is more challenging than ever before. But by adopting ThinkHub, teams can cut down on unnecessary digital noise and establish clear boundaries between career and personal life.
If you're looking to achieve better work-life balance for your hybrid teams, consider tools like ThinkHub. Book a demo to see how ThinkHub can stop work from devouring your nights and weekends or learn more about how to elevate your space for hybrid work.