{"id":5181,"date":"2016-04-14T08:26:36","date_gmt":"2016-04-14T06:26:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.alainveuve.ch\/make-yourself-happier-forget-your-private-life\/"},"modified":"2016-04-14T08:26:36","modified_gmt":"2016-04-14T06:26:36","slug":"make-yourself-happier-forget-your-private-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alainveuve.ch\/en\/make-yourself-happier-forget-your-private-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Make yourself happier: forget your “private life”!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The fixed separation of private and working life is increasingly being shaken up. In a world full of freedom, options and opportunities, the concept is coming under increasing pressure. Because it is a concept that produces results that the fixed private life is designed to prevent. <\/p>\n

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(Reading time: 4 minutes)<\/em><\/p>\n

Thank god it’s friday!<\/h3>\n

Even if it feels like things are getting better, there are an incredible number of people who are not satisfied with their job. They don’t feel so punished by it that they would actually change anything, but they are also not so satisfied that they would like to do it. <\/p>\n

And so start celebrating this dissatisfaction at a young age. For example, by proclaiming TGIF on all channels on Friday and celebrating the weekend as a two-day mini-retirement. As if Saturday shopping, cleaning the car or Germany’s next superstar were the fullness of life. <\/p>\n

Now I don’t think that’s wrong per se: everyone is allowed to live the way they want to and I would probably be the last person to say anything if it weren’t for the following: As these people get older, I have often observed that they become seriously unhappy. At some point, nothing is really good enough anymore. Not the job, certainly not the job, but even the categorically enforced and structured private life falls away. <\/p>\n

Although this “private life” is sacred and must take place on a fixed schedule, e.g. from 5 p.m. onwards, over the years it has become filled with routine activities that are not satisfying. What follows is disappointment, the feeling of being at the mercy of a will-less cog in the system. And that life passes by at high speed. I find that sad and unworthy. <\/p>\n

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For the abolition of private life and the creation of a “life”<\/h3>\n

In my opinion, the reasons for these conditions, which we are fortunately slowly but surely escaping, lie in the overly rigid definition of work and private life.<\/p>\n

It is the strict division of work and private life that creates these two worlds, which compete with and abstract each other. And they will continue to do so because the world is changing. <\/p>\n

I think we should stop doing that. I think we should get rid of the rigid private life and with it the fixed working life. And simply live life. If possible, do what brings us fulfillment and is fun. Regardless of whether it’s officially free time, after work or working hours. <\/p>\n

Simply be able to take time off<\/h3>\n

When I ask young employees why they want to become self-employed, the first thing they always say is that they can “just take an afternoon off”. What a clich\u00e9. You really shouldn’t have to become self-employed for that. <\/p>\n

The desire for freedom and the ability to organize working hours independently is louder than ever. Surprisingly, the majority of companies are not responding to this. This does not have to be the case and I think many companies have not realized that they could significantly increase their attractiveness as an employer if they gave their employees more freedom. <\/p>\n

“Please don’t confuse my vote with the misconception that you simply have to work and be available everywhere and at all times. I don’t see it that way at all. Of course, it’s not about abolishing non-working time at all, but about being able to freely organize working hours and mix them with free time.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

However, this freedom is undoubtedly a great need. There are many reasons why this is the case: People try to do work and family, breadwinning and self-realization and much more at the same time. I think it is an achievement of our time that this is entirely possible, albeit with considerable effort. <\/p>\n

It’s just that the structures are lacking. In many places, working hours are still strictly regulated and the whole thing is handled as if we were in the 1950s. <\/p>\n

Switch off your e-mail in the evening<\/h3>\n

I, for example, am a real morning person. I’m usually extremely productive early in the morning. And I know a lot of people who can only really get going after 8pm. How is that supposed to work? A fixed working day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. is a lazy compromise for both of these extremes. This is just one example of many. <\/p>\n

I also find the noble attempts to protect employees from the “always-on world” by switching off email communication after work to be correspondingly misguided. As I said, the intention is probably well-intentioned, but the measure is simply wrong in many respects. <\/p>\n

Because that’s how children are treated. You forbid children to watch TV or eat chocolate, for example, because they can’t handle it. So you treat your own employees like children. I don’t think that’s a good idea. <\/p>\n

It would be much better to create structures that enable flexible working, and that starts with the culture. It starts with the awareness of how to handle one’s own personal resources carefully, to create freedom and at the same time to take responsibility. Achieving this awareness in the company is a lot of work and should be exemplified by management. In most cases, however, management is or is constantly at work. <\/p>\n

Creating this awareness is the harder way. Much harder than simply pausing the mail gateway overnight. But it is also a way that will lead to more motivated employees and therefore more productivity in the medium term. Think of it as a business measure. <\/p>\n

How to approach it?<\/h3>\n

I think the agile company<\/a> is again leading the way here. If the employees organize themselves in small teams, this free division and organization of private and working time can be achieved without major overhead. The employees organize themselves. <\/p>\n

In agile companies, employee responsibility must be extremely high, one way or another. Service by the book is not an option. And that’s a good thing. <\/p>\n

Control is good<\/del> – trust is better<\/h3>\n

It doesn’t work without trust. That’s tricky for many managers. I’ve learned over the last few years that you don’t get very far in the service sector with control. Instead of gaining security, the opposite often happens. You create a climate in which people work according to specifications. And if you don’t set out all the specifications in a comprehensive and structured way, which is virtually impossible with complex work, it may well be that the employees do everything right according to the specifications, but the work doesn’t meet the requirements of the customer or the project. <\/p>\n

I have had much better experiences with giving employees the problem, providing different perspectives and then letting them do it. This is where trust has to kick in. This works particularly well and is easy if you, as an entrepreneur or manager, are not as knowledgeable as your employees. And quite honestly, that’s how it should be for the most part, otherwise you probably just don’t have the right employees. At least not in larger companies. <\/p>\n

Leading by example<\/h3>\n

I think it’s important to set a good example as a manager. This mainly means being aware of expectations. For example, for a long time I wrote emails to employees at the weekend and put a note in the footer saying that I didn’t expect a reply to be sent at the weekend. That sounds paradoxical at first. But for many employees, receiving emails from their superiors at inappropriate times creates the pressure to write back at inappropriate times. Of course, that shouldn’t be the case. <\/p>\n

Here at AOE <\/a>, we also live the agile company in this respect. I do write and receive a lot of emails in the evenings, at weekends or even at night, which is unavoidable as an international company. But nobody expects work to be done at inopportune times. I define what is or isn’t inappropriate on my own responsibility and according to the situation. This means that if I feel like dealing with a topic on a Sunday, I work on it and write back. If not, then I don’t. <\/p>\n

A more varied, colorful life<\/h3>\n

It goes without saying that the work has to be done and done on time. And so, of course, bottlenecks also arise, situations where you would actually rather be doing something else. But, for example, offer no. XY simply has to go out COB. That can’t be avoided. After all, it’s still work or business and not a day at the beach. And that’s a good thing, because it regularly conveys the economic seriousness of life. If everything was up for grabs, everything would become arbitrary and non-binding. <\/p>\n

But the time when there are fewer clear constraints can be used more effectively. The result is a more varied, more colorful life. One that makes family and\/or self-fulfilment and career (read career here if you’re interested) more compatible. Not perfect, but better. And more interesting. <\/p>\n

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