TECHNOLOGY is both a blessing and a curse. As teams, we enjoy instant access to each other, easier communication across time and space as well as increased productivity to some extent.
On the other hand, there is an increased pulling of the employee’s attention in many different directions. The impact of our new and improved digital media use has begun to affect our health and wellbeing in more negative than positive ways.
The overnight shift to remote working introduced during the Covid-19-induced lockdowns has been dubbed "one of the most notable real time social experiments of recent times".
For some, working from home increased productivity while for others, it did the opposite. With the connectedness came overuse of technology, leading to challenges such as eyestrain, sleep disorders, stress, anxiety, isolation and difficulty managing work-life boundaries.
If there is one Covid-19 side effect that will linger for a long time to come, it is our added attachment to our devices and screens, most often with undesirable, counter-productive outcomes.
Digital workplace leaders and the teams that they lead find themselves in a complicated place where technology that promised to increase communication, efficiency, collaboration, workflow and productivity seems to be a major factor for the opposite impact being experienced across different sectors.
The remote workplace and the after-effects of increased screen time, a heavier reliance on conducting business online, as well as the now too-common attachment to our devices significantly shifted the manner in which we relate to and interact with technology as well as each other.
Social isolation and compromised work-life boundaries have increased. There is more pressure to remain connected and accessible.
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There has also been significant pressure to perform at machine-like, robotic capacity as a result of the desire to coexist and sometimes compete with unsettling emerging technologies.
Most employee well-being conversations in many organisations are missing the critical element of digital wellness.
Digital wellness, also known as digital well-being, is about recognising the downside of our digital habits and finding better ways to manage our relationship with technology.
It is, therefore, “the conscious use of technology which enables individuals and communities to realise their potential”. – Sentient Digital
It also refers to the ability to maintain a healthy balance between using technology and engaging in other meaningful activities.
The digital workspace where most spend their professional and personal lives in newly found harmony (mostly disharmony) has made it difficult to disconnect from work and to fully engage in other fulfilling and necessary life activities.
In the same breath, it has become nearly impossible to focus solely on work while using the same tool that facilitates all sorts of entertainment, as well as other varied forms of distraction.
How many times have we picked up our smartphone to go through work emails, do research on a work-related topic or project, or consulted our generative AI chatbot for something work-related?
Often, we find ourselves diverted to something else. We end up spending excessive amounts of time going deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole of endless information that the internet hands to us in generous amounts.
With technology playing a significant, simultaneous role in both our personal and professional lives, digital wellness is becoming increasingly important, especially in the workplace.
How we work, where and when we work as well as how we develop talent is also evolving, moving beyond developing isolated skills to aligning skills development with both company strategy and employee experience.
It is critical to note that employee digital well-being is directly linked to employee productivity and engagement.
We are hyper-connected and hyper-distracted. It is time to care for the digital health and well-being as well as the digital productivity of employees.
In this article, I share some strategies that workplace leaders can incorporate right away to promote digital wellness in their organisations:
Respect after-work boundaries
I have spoken to employees who say the biggest stressor for them post-Covid is the blurring of boundaries where work follows them home long after they leave the office and even when they are on vacation or lawful leave (sick leave included).
Work continues to hover during times when they should be resting, driving and spending time with family.
Work follows them everywhere they go (even into the bathroom or toilet) in the form of WhatsApp texts and calls, virtual meetings, emails and even direct messages on personal social media platforms.
The best gift that a cyber-smart organisation can give right now is to respect an employee or colleague’s personal time and space.
Allow them the room to disconnect from work outside working hours. Streamlining important communication and meetings is also essential.
Emergencies are not and should not be a daily occurrence so there is no need to use those as an excuse for taking away an employee’s right to downtime and much-needed breaks from work.
Move away from haphazard communication/collaboration to orderly, clear processes.
Work with your teams on flexible solutions for eliminating distractions and where that is not realistic; help them master the art of performing in spite of distractions.
Encourage breaks from technology
I remember a time when it was generally believed that spending long periods of time on work projects equated to commitment to one’s work.
We have since moved to the “work smart” mantra, all thanks to technology streamlining most of our processes.
However, many of us struggle to detach from device-connected work, which is often intermingled with other activities – social, educational, and entertainment.
In order to assist your teams help themselves in striking a very necessary balance, leaders can encourage employees to take breaks from using digital devices throughout the day.
This could involve incorporating regular tech-free breaks into the workday or designating areas that are technology-free zones.
Provide training on digital wellness
While many of us feel and witness the negative impact of increased tech use and screen time, most people do not know how to practically take care of their digital well-being.
Providing training to all members of organisations on the benefits of maintaining a healthy balance between using technology and other activities is essential.
All stakeholders should be made aware of the negative impacts of spending too much time on digital devices, such as eye strain, mental fatigue and lower productivity.
These steps should be enforced regularly and taken seriously as they could lead to health conditions that will negatively impact productivity and ultimately, an organisation’s bottom line.
Set device-free policies
Implementing digital wellness initiatives casually can have the effect of non-compliance or uncertainty on how far the proposed measures can be enforced or adhered to.
Consider setting specific device-free policies for certain meetings or events to encourage face-to-face communication and engagement.
Encouraging employees to use digital devices only when necessary, such as for work-related tasks, helps in setting the tone for mindful use of screens.
Wider-reaching and clearly defined policies and guidelines will serve organisations well.
Through implementing these and similar strategies, employers can help promote digital wellness in the workplace, improving productivity, morale and employee satisfaction.
Encouraging a healthy balance between technology and other activities is essential for maintaining well-being in the modern workplace.
What steps are you taking in your organisation to promote digital wellness in the workplace?
Utete is an attorney and digital wellness consultant with 15 years of experience in consulting and spearheading policy and legislative reform in the areas of broadcasting, digitalisation, regulation of the radio frequency spectrum and intellectual property protection for innovation. As co-founder of Digital Wellness Africa, Utete is also a digital media use and online safety expert, raising awareness, educating and empowering children, parents and educators in the areas of digital skills and smartphone productivity, digital citizenship, cybersecurity, digital reputation management and digital well-being. These weekly New Horizon articles, published in the Zimbabwe Independent, are coordinated by Lovemore Kadenge, an independent consultant, managing consultant of Zawale Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, past president of the Zimbabwe Economics Society and past president of the Chartered Governance & Accountancy Institute in Zimbabwe. — [email protected] or +263 772 382 852.
