WorkBeing or WellBeing – Have you crossed the line?

I loved Geography at school. “Borders and Boundaries” was my all-time favorite unit. I am still fascinated by the divisions in our natural and built environments, our social and economic landscapes. Rivers and dams. Forest and farm. Residential and commercial. Work and play.

Borders and boundaries create a sense of order and certainty. They help make things easier to understand and manage. But they are not permanent.  Natural events or deliberate actions even at a small scale can have huge flow on effects. The boundary between land and sea is shifting in central NSW, a long-term process creating a complex set of problems for land owners, local business and authorities.  Redrawing the boundaries in inner Melbourne has seen an increase in apartment building and greater demand for bicycle paths and public transport.   Local manufacturers are under pressure to reduce noise and the movement of trucks.

Covid 19 and the move to WFH has removed one of the most significant boundaries many of us had in our lives. The line between work and home. Physically moving from work to home made it pretty easy to mentally shift gears from one place to the other.  

Now I hear clients talk of days spent in endless virtual meetings, with evenings spent “catching up on my work”.   The line has blurred. The benefit has become somewhat of a burden. 

Exercise, time with loved ones  and sleep are often the casualties of less home time.  Its all a bit odd really, given we are at home almost 24 x 7.

If the boundary between your work and home life has distorted to the point where you are noticing the impact on energy, productivity, relationships and general well being its time to redraw your boundaries.    Re-setting your own and others expectations is the starting point.

Unclear about where your boundaries are, or what should be either side of the divide between your personal and professional worlds? Tools like the Global Leadership Wellbeing Survey (GLWS) can be very helpful www.glwswellbeing.com

#Leadershipwellbeing #Workplacewellbeing #Work life balance #staywell #GlobalLeadershipwellbeingsurvey #GLWS #neuroleadership

Jennie Hill PCC partners with leaders and senior teams committed to  mastering their craft as leaders so they can have maximum positive impact on those they lead and the organisations they serve.  She does this as an executive coach and Neuroleadership trainer and by leading by example. In 2020 she redrew her own professional boundaries by moving to a 4 day week.

Photo by BAILEY MAHON on Unsplash