- Singapore Women’s Weekly November 2009:
 
With the advent of mobile technology, it’s easy to work to encroach into our personal lives via our Blackberrys. But there are ways to switch off from work after office hours.
 
Try and finish your work in the office! It should not dog you at home. “Maximize your time by running through a to-do list and allowing some buffer time in your schedule so emergencies can be dealt with.” advises Ong Soh Ching, Regional Head of Resourcing, South East Asia, Standard Chartered Bank.
 
Communicate clearly with your boss so that both of you understand each other’s expectations. “You should also set realistic deadlines from the start so you can meet them,” notes Adeline Ng, Associate Director of Human Resources at KPMG in Singapore

Be consistent with your actions. Clarify having to respond to work-related phone calls or e-mails over the weekend with your boss. “Say you will not respond to official calls during weekends on your personal mobile phone, but perhaps give a contact number in case of emergency. Let your supervisor know you are committed to your work as well as your family life, and that you will respond to any e-mail as soon as you are back in the office,” advises Julia Wolage, Vice President, Human Resources, American Express. “If you stick to this behaviour, it will soon become a common and accepted practice that you are not contactable on weekends.”
 
Occasionally we all have to work late or on weekends. The key is to set expectations that you will only do so when genuinely necessary, like when critically important projects or unexpected difficulties come up.