Rethinking Productivity: Why Busy Is Not Better in Government Work

The New Work-Life Balance: Why ‘Doing It All’ Is Secretly Burning You Out

The modern workplace culture often glorifies constant availability, equating it with dedication and ambition. In municipal government, this can manifest in an expectation to respond to emails late at night, attend evening council meetings, and remain reachable during weekends. While this hyper-connectivity might seem like an efficient way to manage public service demands, it actually deteriorates cognitive function and emotional well-being over time. Studies show that prolonged exposure to digital devices outside of work hours can lead to increased stress, disrupted sleep, and decreased job satisfaction¹.

For public sector professionals, especially those in leadership or frontline roles, the pressure to be perpetually accessible often results in what researchers describe as "availability creep" - a gradual shift in boundaries that erodes personal time². Without clear limits, employees find themselves reacting to crises instead of planning strategically. This reactive posture not only leads to burnout but also compromises the quality of public service delivery. Establishing defined hours for communication and encouraging organizational respect for personal time are crucial steps toward reversing this unsustainable trend.

The Consequences of the Hustle Mentality

The societal narrative around productivity promotes the idea that being busy equates to being valuable. In municipal work environments, where performance is often measured by output and responsiveness, this mentality can quickly spiral into chronic overwork. The American Psychological Association has linked such patterns to heightened risks of anxiety, depression, and even cardiovascular disease³. When employees internalize the belief that rest is a luxury, not a necessity, they begin to sacrifice their physical and mental health in pursuit of approval or advancement.

Teams that operate under constant pressure tend to experience higher turnover, lower morale, and reduced innovation. Employees who are burned out are less likely to propose creative solutions, engage in collaborative problem-solving, or maintain positive relationships with the public and colleagues. In municipal departments, where collaboration and long-term planning are integral, this can lead to inefficiencies and service gaps. Shifting the culture to value rest as a strategic resource, not a sign of weakness, is essential for sustainable performance.

Setting Boundaries That Work

Practical boundary-setting begins with clarity and consistency. Municipal leaders must model healthy practices by limiting after-hours communications, taking earned leave, and encouraging their teams to do the same. One effective strategy is implementing team charters or communication agreements that outline when and how staff are expected to be available. For example, the City of Minneapolis adopted a “Right to Disconnect” policy that discourages non-emergency communication outside of regular work hours⁴. These policies can reinforce a culture of respect and help normalize balance.

Individuals can also take ownership by establishing rituals that signal the start and end of the workday, particularly in hybrid or remote roles. This might include turning off work notifications, physically separating workspace from living space, or scheduling a consistent end-of-day routine. Research from Harvard Business Review indicates that employees who intentionally “log off” at the end of the day report higher levels of work satisfaction and lower stress levels⁵. These small changes, when adopted consistently, can significantly improve one’s quality of life.

Prioritizing Rest as a Leadership Skill

In the municipal sector, where leaders are often tasked with guiding crisis response and long-range planning simultaneously, rest can seem counterproductive. However, neuroscience research affirms that rest enhances executive functioning, emotional regulation, and problem-solving capacity⁶. Leaders who consistently take time to recharge are better equipped to make sound decisions, manage conflict, and model resilience for their teams. Rest is not a pause from leadership - it is a prerequisite for effective leadership.

One practical method to promote restorative practices is through structured time off. Encouraging use of vacation days, implementing meeting-free blocks, or instituting “quiet weeks” during less intensive periods can offer staff time to recover and reflect. The City of San Diego, for instance, introduced a rotational wellness day program to help employees decompress from high-stress responsibilities without disrupting service delivery⁷. These initiatives show that municipal workplaces can be both high-performing and humane.

Redefining Success in Public Service

Success in government work has traditionally been tied to metrics like response times, budget efficiency, and policy outcomes. While these are important, they do not capture the full picture of a healthy and sustainable workforce. Redefining success to include staff well-being, job satisfaction, and work-life integration sets a more balanced standard. This shift not only benefits employees but also improves public trust, as healthier teams are more empathetic, responsive, and consistent in their service delivery.

Municipal HR departments can revise performance evaluations to include competencies like emotional intelligence, teamwork, and self-management. When these attributes are valued alongside technical skills, employees are incentivized to maintain their personal health and interpersonal relationships. Training programs that emphasize soft skills, wellness, and boundary-setting help reinforce this cultural shift. By aligning organizational goals with human-centered values, municipalities can build workplaces that attract and retain top talent.

Intentional Living in a Demanding Profession

Choosing intentional living means aligning daily activities with deeply held values instead of reacting to constant external demands. For municipal professionals, this might involve reassessing meetings that could be emails, delegating non-essential tasks, or reevaluating committee commitments. Intentionality also means recognizing that rest, family time, and community engagement are not separate from professional success - they are integral to it. A well-rounded life supports a well-rounded leader.

Implementing intentional living requires both individual discipline and organizational support. Tools like time audits, mindfulness practices, and value-based goal setting can help employees make conscious choices about how they spend their time. At the same time, municipal managers must foster environments where such practices are seen as strengths, not liabilities. When both levels align, the result is a culture where people thrive, not just survive.

Bibliography

American Psychological Association. "Stress in America 2022: Concerned for the Future, Beset by Inflation." February 2023. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2022/concerned-future-inflation.
Mazmanian, Melissa, Ingrid Erickson, and Ellie Harmon. "Circumscribed Time and Porous Time: Logics as a Way of Studying Temporality in Sociomaterial Practices." Information and Organization 24, no. 4 (2014): 208-226.
World Health Organization. "Occupational Burn-out: Recognized as a Medical Diagnosis." May 2019. https://www.who.int/mental_health/evidence/burn-out/en/.
City of Minneapolis. "Right to Disconnect Policy." Human Resources Department, 2021. https://www2.minneapolismn.gov/government/departments/hr/employee-resources/right-to-disconnect/.
Perlow, Leslie A., and Jessica L. Porter. "Making Time Off Predictable and Required." Harvard Business Review, October 2009. https://hbr.org/2009/10/making-time-off-predictable-and-required.
Walker, Matthew. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. New York: Scribner, 2017.
City of San Diego Human Resources Department. “Employee Wellness Programs.” 2022. https://www.sandiego.gov/employee-wellness.