Challenging the "Culture of Immediacy" at Work
This post has been written by Eva Rimbau-Gilabert, respected academic and advocate for remote work, and regular guest of the 21st Century Work Life podcast. She is an Associate Professor at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia) and lectures on a wide range of HR topics.
You can read the original post, in Spanish, here.
A culture of immediacy is characterised by immediate responsiveness and constant availability, and is often facilitated by communication technologies such as email, instant messaging and meeting tools.
In a workplace with a culture of immediacy, there is an expectation that workers will respond to messages and requests immediately and at any time of the day. This can lead to stress and exhaustion.
A few days ago, Carolina Freire Vales published an article in Elle Magazine on the culture of immediacy and how to avoid it. It includes comments from myself, but as is often the case, she had to leave some of what we discussed out. So here is our exchange in full.
Carolina: Senior managers are often responsible for nurturing a culture of immediacy. What can people in leadership positions do to avoid this?
Eva: For a start, they can plan team activities well ahead of time, being clear about how much time and resources they will need. If something unexpected happens, tasks can be reprioritized so that not everything has to be done “now”. Those tasks that are less urgent or less important can usually be postponed. They can also:
Communicate clearly priorities and deadlines.
If team members are unsure of deadlines, they may feel pressured to get everything done urgently.Reward a job well done, not an immediate response.
If team members perceive that those who are regularly rewarded are those who respond quickly, as opposed to those who deliver good work, they will choose to prioritise immediacy over a job well done.Support a healthy work-life balance.
It is important that managers recognise the importance of a healthy work-life balance and encourage team members to take breaks and disconnect from work when necessary. This includes not expecting immediate responses to emails or messages outside of business hours. It’s important to respect team member’s boundaries, and not expect them to be available 24/7. Managers should role-model digital disconnection and not send or reply to messages outside of working hours.
Carolina: What are the benefits for managers of moving away from a culture of immediacy?
Eva: - Increased productivity. If team members can set limits on their availability and manage their workload effectively, they are likely to be more productive.
Boost in team morale
By fostering a culture that values a healthy work-life balance, managers can improve team morale and create a more positive work environment.Talent retention.
If team members feel supported and valued, they are more likely to stay with the company. By facilitating task management, reducing emergencies, recognising a job well done, and promoting a healthy work-life balance, managers can improve loyalty and retention.
Carolina: Instant messaging tools reinforce this kind of culture. Based on your perspective and experience, when do they stop being useful and become a source of distraction?
Eva: We need to distinguish between focused or “deep” work and fast or “superficial” work. Most people need long periods of concentration to produce truly innovative ideas, well-developed and detailed. In order to do this, they cannot be constantly replying to instant messages (or emails, for that matter). You need to embrace asynchronous communication: it’s unnecessary to always communicate “live” but each person can respond when it suits them best, at set times of the day. In this way, we can ensure that there are time slots without interruptions.
Carolina: How can we distinguish between a message that requires an immediate response and one that doesn’t?
Eva: There are few genuine emergencies in life - and the same goes for work. There are no general guidelines to decide if a message requires an immediate response, but they are usually one of the following:
A request for a task related to the release of a product announced for a certain day and time
A message related to investor decisions or budget closing
When a colleague depends on you to complete an urgent task
Of course, if someone up the hierarchy demands an immediate response, you’re likely to comply. However, if these kinds of requests frequently come from an individual, consider talking to that person to make them aware that this “imposed urgency” can prevent others from doing a good job, and that it might be time for the whole team to establish different priorities and deadlines.
Carolina: What about team members? Is there anything they can do to help eradicate this culture?
Eva: We can apply some of the same strategies with our colleagues. Some people don’t plan their time well and, as a result, others end up rushing their work to prevent a project from falling behind. Having a conversation with these people to make them aware of the effect they’re having on their colleagues would be a good place to start. You can also:
Establish your availability and communicate it to your colleagues and manager. In this way, you can avoid feeling like you have to respond to messages or tasks outside of your work hours.
Don’t check work emails or messages outside of working hours: turn off the notifications on your personal devices.
Ask your manager for clarification on deadlines and priorities, so that you can all plan your work. When an “emergency” happens, ask what tasks can be delayed so that you can deal with it.
Eva Rimbau-Gilabert
This post is a translation of Eva Rimbau-Gilabert’s LinkedIn article in Spanish, published on 14 February 2023 on LinkedIn. The text was created using Google Translate, ProWriting Aid and Pilar’s non-professional translating skills.