Tip #6 – Against the Always-On Culture

Nov 20, 2025

 

 

 

Commitment is what always-on culture looks like. But for most teams, it slowly takes away their focus, judgment, and energy.

Leaders end up reacting instead of thinking when notifications never stop and “quick replies” feel like they have to be done. People grow weary of working, leading to hasty decisions. Priorities get mixed up, and work keeps coming.

The change is easy: always-on is not a way to improve performance. It is a risk for leaders, especially when they are quickly pushing for digital transformation and AI change.

Against the Always-On Culture

It feels productive to always be working, but it often makes people think too quickly, make decisions too swiftly, and never really recover. That becomes a problem with leadership, not just with health, over time.

The change is straightforward: consider attention to be a valuable resource. If leaders keep their focus, teams will too. Teams will quietly burn out if leaders reward those who are constantly available.

A practical leadership move you can try this week

Choose one small change that shows a healthier norm, like

  • Outside of work hours, there is no expectation of an “instant reply.”
  • Establish a dedicated time slot each week, free from meetings, for in-depth work.
  • A rule for the team: “Call” means “urgent,” not “message spam.”

These little rules make it easier to make better choices.

Why this is important for change

Digital transformation is already challenging. The always-on culture becomes a risk multiplier when you add AI adoption, new tools, and faster cycles. This leads to worse decisions, weaker execution, and change fatigue.

Digital transformation and AI consulting should be focused on people in this exact way: not just picking tools, but also coming up with ways to work that can grow.

This video is part of a series based on my book Life in the Digital Bubble. It looks at how AI, automation, immersive technology, and social media will change our daily lives over the next 30 years and how we can protect our rights and our humanity.

I’m not concerned about predicting every little thing that will happen in the future. I care more about one thing:

How can we stay free and human in systems that can see and remember almost everything?

Digital privacy, surveillance, and civil liberties are no longer just things that lawyers and activists talk about. They have an impact on leaders, workers, and families in every field.

If you would like to explore these themes further, you can:

And if your organization is scaling AI or accelerating transformation and wants practical guidance on balancing speed, trust, and outcomes, my digital transformation and AI consulting work is designed exactly for that.