Policy Presentation

Today, technology has made it easy for employees to stay in office long after they have gone home or even on vacation. In other words, it has made it impossible for workers to disconnect from the office. For instance, workers regularly check their emails and voicemails while at home or during vacation time. Access to the internet and the availability of devices such as computers, laptops, and smart-phones has made employees be virtually accessible 24/7 (Ollier-Malaterre et al., 2019). As a result, the line between professional and personal lives for employees continues to blur. Workers have access to better tools off and on the job. To some extent, employees are even using their devices to accomplish work-related tasks or activities. In other words, technology has eroded the line between home and work because employees are working in their homes despite getting out of office.

According to Ollier-Malaterre et al. (2019), technology such as the internet has made workers be accessible 24/7 because they do no longer have specific time and place to work. Many workers have become addicted to technology and the internet such that they tend to spend most of their time online at the expense of their personal lives. For instance, employees find themselves regularly checking their emails, thus sparing limited time with their families. They can no longer have adequate time to relax or go for a vacation since they are worried about a missed mail from the management or client. As such, workers are unable to disconnect from the office. Offer (2014) pointed out that workers at times cut down vacations or ignore them entirely because they either fear they would appear like slackers or because they think they are indispensable.

Moreover, organizational cultures and employee decisions comprise some of the significant factors that contribute to the blurring of the line between the professional and personal lives for workers. In some companies, employees are not allowed to disconnect from office because of the punishments and perceptions associated with missed deadlines. As a result, employees are forced to work even in their homes after office to accomplish specific tasks to meet organizational goals. Also, flexible work arrangements such as telecommuting tend to blur the line. Since it allows workers to operate from home, they are likely to spend a lot of time doing work-related activities at the expense of their families or spouses (Charoensukmongkol, 2014). It is also a choice of particular employees not to disconnect from office for the need to perform better or receive constant email updates from the firm.

Besides, organizations or employers that do not give their workers the right to disconnect from the office can cause both positive and negative outcomes. Positively, disallowing workers to disconnect from the office enables the organization to accomplish its targets efficiently because employees are accessible 24/7. Organizational tasks can be performed even from outside the office, therefore preventing the company from missing opportunities. For instance, since workers are available all the time, they can respond to client issues even while in their homes or during vacations. Blurring the line also motivates employees to work hard because the physical location of the office does not limit them. According to Noonan and Glass (2012), although telecommuting blurs the line between the professional and personal lives of workers, it makes them feel independent, thus enhancing their job satisfaction. Nevertheless, to leverage these positive outcomes, the administration should establish clear policies that govern the disconnection from the office. It should provide specific times and circumstances when to connect to the office as well as the associated compensation.

One of the adverse outcomes of blurring the line between the personal and professional lives of workers is that it results in anxiety that can lead to burnout. Burnouts can result in severe health problems for workers, something that can lower productivity in the long-run. Lu and Gursoy (2016) stated that employee burnout leads to stress and absenteeism, something that can impact their health adversely. The firm can spend a lot of money to treat such health-related conditions. Secondly, failing to disconnect from the office also prevents workers from having adequate time with their families, something that can result in divisions or mistrusts. Therefore, organizations should set out clear policies to recognize the line between the personal and professional lives of workers. They should be allowed to disconnect from the office to have time with their home lives.

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