Nowadays, it has become very common to receive work-related WeChat messages after get off work, but it is also quite annoying at the same time.

Store manager Wang from Ningbo was fired because he overslept and failed to respond to WeChat messages in time when his boss inquired about sales late at night. This incident attracted the attention of many people.

The boundaries between work and life are blurring. How to deal with this situation?

Some people can accept the blurring of boundaries between work and life.

Adam was so passionate about his work that he even gave up social activities while writing his thesis in college. He works from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and feels uncomfortable if he doesn't respond to emails in a timely manner. People like him don't care if the boundaries between work and life are blurred.

Some people find it difficult to accept that work affects every aspect of their lives and want clear boundaries. Everyone has different tolerance levels.

People's personality and experience have a great influence on this. For example, those who have experienced tremendous pressure in the workplace are often more eager to have their own leisure time after get off work.

Everyone feels differently about work-life boundaries.

The employees of some start-up companies are very motivated to work. They are ready to work at any time and regard the development of the company as their own.

Many staff in public institutions pay special attention to the boundaries between working time and rest time. Once they get off work, they hope to completely disconnect from work so that their private time will not be disturbed.

There is a type of person called a "fusion".

They enjoy the feeling of work integrating into their lives, as natural as breathing.

Those who are integrators, as Wharton professors refer to them, will naturally have conversations over dinner about supply chain or financial aspects of their work.

In real life, some workers in creative industries are similar.

In an advertising agency, members of the creative team chatted and relaxed while sipping coffee, and occasionally discussed a creative idea at work. They think there is nothing wrong with this, and even think that doing so can spark more creative sparks.

Integrated people are very enthusiastic about their work and do not feel that work is a burden.

I have a programmer friend who digs deep into code even on his days off. He emphasized that this was not overtime work, but an extension of his programming hobby. He even thinks that discussing code improvements with colleagues in their free time is an interesting social activity.

The opposite is the "segmenter".

Extreme segmenters keep work and life very separate.

The firefighters Nancy studied put on slippers after get off work and kept their distance from their families until they showered and changed. They don't even want to display family photos in their offices.

There are many similar situations in life. Some teachers no longer think about teaching after class, and they prefer to devote themselves to their personal leisure time.

Segmenters are greatly influenced by the nature of their work.

Doctors have to deal with many patients every day, deal with their illnesses, and even life-and-death matters, which makes them mentally very stressed. After get off work, they prefer to stay away from these pressures and return their lives to a relaxed and happy rhythm. They do not want the stress and fatigue at work to affect the family atmosphere.

The nature of work plays an important role in demarcating boundaries between work and life.

Workers in high-intensity and high-stress working environments, such as those in the financial industry, are often under great pressure at work, and the proportion of those who suffer from stress may be relatively high.

To ensure their downtime is relaxing, they intentionally avoid work-related matters.

In work such as art creation, the work rhythm is relatively relaxed, and the creator's inspiration may emerge at any time.

There are relatively many integrators in this type of work.

I once met a painter who often inspired new paintings while traveling or spending time with his family. In his view, every scene in life has the potential to add color to his works.

It is important for managers to understand whether employees are blenders or segmenters.

Managers can better leverage employees' strengths if they can classify them accurately.

When assigning project tasks or agreeing on work periods, targeted scheduling can be implemented based on employee categories.

If the project enters the critical overtime phase, participants are often more willing to accept the overtime plan and be able to maintain high efficiency.

In this Internet company, after understanding the personality of employees in advance, the leadership will support meticulous employees to follow the steps during non-emergency tasks. At the same time, employees who like to combine work and life can freely switch between the two states.

This not only reduces unnecessary employee anxiety, but also improves work efficiency.

For individuals, it is important to establish a work-life balance.

If you are a fusion person, you should also pay attention to leaving some pure company time for family and friends.

For example, set up a family day every week and try to be indifferent to work on this day.

Segmentors should also have some flexibility if they face urgent tasks and should not set boundaries that are too strict.

At a social level, we must foster a culture that respects the boundaries between people’s work and life.

Companies must not over-exploit employees, and employees must learn to appropriately refuse unreasonable tasks.

Only in this way can we create a relatively harmonious and healthy working and living environment.