The Importance of Creating a Digitally Balanced Workplace Culture: Lessons from an HBR webinar

We are immersed in a digital world. It impacts how we learn, how we play, and how we work. While our omni-connectedness certainly has its advantages (think: enhanced communication and collaboration, greater flexibility, time-saving efficiencies), it also has deleterious effects on our physical and emotional selves (think: muscle and eye strain, obesity, depression). And though it may seem that technology has an inevitable hold on us, there are steps we can take to regain control and create a more digitally balanced workplace culture.

Peter Vogel, researcher and director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland, laid out the case for a reflection and correction on technology’s role in the workplace in a fascinating webinar hosted by Harvard Business Review, ‘On Digital’s Frontline: How Company Culture can Make or Break Digital Transformation.’ He uses the term ‘transformation’ to signal the need for not just a tweak but an overhaul of how we use technology in the workplace.

Ironically, the mass influx of digital natives (Millennials and those familiar with digital technology from birth) into the workforce is a main force driving this transformation. The other large factor is the connection to bottom line: the U.S. leads developed nations, experiencing $450-500 billion in productivity loss annually due to active employee disengagement caused by information overload, constant distraction, and expectations to be always available.

We have to regain control of this digital overload, but how? In Peter’s words, we must disconnect to reconnect. Organizations must lead by example and develop a holistic strategy for digital transformation of the workplace. It’s not just about systems and processes; it’s about culture. While this matters to all generations, it is especially important to Digital Natives who value work/life balance.

Peter outlined the following strategies for creating a more digitally balanced workplace culture:

• Make digital detox part of your employee value proposition and recruiting: Clear email policies and vacation/PTO policies, along with effective delegation, go a long way in creating a healthy digital balance. For example, Volkswagen turns off its servers after 5pm, shutting down the flow of email, and Persil declares an ‘email amnesty’ for workers between Christmas and New Year’s.
• Create your own healthy balance. Employees should design their own structures for keeping technology in check. Avoiding multi-tasking; defining daily routines and specific times and limits to social media and other technology; and recognizing that the world keeps spinning without you will lead you towards this goal.
• Lead by example at the managerial and organizational level. If a manager is emailing his direct reports at 2am, employees think they must mimic this behavior in order to get promoted. Managers must walk the talk and make sure their own behaviors reflect a digitally balanced life. Organizations should also offer support in creating balance. For example, Intel sponsors an 8-week mindful awareness program for its employees, designed to develop better focus and stress management.

What are the ways in which you, or your organization, create a healthier digital balance?