No, I Didn't Read Your Email This Weekend.

According to the US Department of Labor's Bureau of Statistics, 35% of Americans work on the weekend (not surprising) but here is the statistic that is a little mind boggling: of that 35%, on third of these workers are only scheduled to work Mon-Fri! That means 1 out of 3 people who say they work weekends have already put in a full work week. Technology is frequently identified as the culprit for this weekend work - we can access our offices from any where at any time. Some smart phone workers say their phone gives them flexibility. They can cut out early, or take a longer lunch to handle personal tasks. They use their phone to stay on top of things while out; they are not really extending the work week, just working differently. The data; however, does not fully support that line of thought. In 2012 the Center for Creative Leadership did a survey that found that 60% of smart phone users  were working a full 13.5 hours a day, and then another 5 hours of email juggling on the weekend. This puts them at 72.50 hours of work; 32.5 hours above what is considered "typical" work week. The same study indicated that by 2015 (now) our business emails would increase by 22-24%. The study further took the myth of "flexibility" to task by pointing out that there was no difference between employees who had smart phones (aka freedom to be flexible) and those who did not when it came to handling personal tasks during the work day. So what is the impact? What does it mean? Does it mean that we are more productive? Not necessarily. The technology driven workplace could actually be increasing our stress levels and hurting our overall health, while decreasing productivity. In 2012, Gloria Mark, an expert in workplace focus, ran an experiment where a group of employees gave up all digital communication for a week -not just at home, but at the office too! Results? Decreased heart rates and the physical metrics of stress significantly decreased. Other studies have shown that checking emails at night decreases your productivity the next day. Currently the internet, from Huntington Post, CBS News, Forbes to the Wall Street Journal, is full of articles bringing forward the statistics that show that checking your email all weekend is not good for you. So, no. I did not get your email this weekend! While we can point the finger at our smart phone; I go back to the old adage: Smart Phones don't check and send email, people do. So how do you do it differently? How do you break the electronic leash?

• Set Boundaries - What hours of the day are you available? What is an emergency that would warrant someone contacting you outside those times? What can wait? Figure out your boundaries and communicate them to your team, clients and boss. 

• Use an out of office alert - "Thank you for your message. I may or may not be checking emails on a regular basis this weekend; however, will respond to your email on Monday. If you have a specific time that works best, please feel free to respond with that time."

• Turn your email off on the weekends and evenings - most smart phone apps make it easy to turn off email (so even if you open the app by accident no emails will populate) This will keep you from checking email. Not ready to go that far? Then turn off the notifications. This way, you won't know immediately when an email comes.

• Don't be a weekend e-mailer - The old saying, "Do unto others..." Well, it holds true for after hours emails. Emails and text messaging create a sense of urgency. So hold the email until then next morning, or Monday. Or, use a tool that lets you schedule the email to go out later.

• Put down the smart phone! Recently there was a great image on Facebook that was encouraging people out at dinner to put their phones face down on the table. First person to turn their phone over, or check it, paid the bill! Take it a step further. Leave the phone at home!
  

Smart phones are a great way to make your business portable. However, we don't want to do it at the cost of our work-life balance. We are our best when we are rested and recharged. So, this weekend, while you recharge, dock the smart phone! -pun intended!;)