When I read The HRM magazine article regarding this topic, I was intrigued as I have not heard of the terms, segmentor and integrator before although I was aware of the general premise. It explains how you like to work and how you assimilate work into your, out of work life.
Being an integrator means that you are happy to integrate your work and home life. In a healthy manifestation of this style you are happy to have work creep into your home hours with the belief that it will “all even out in the wash” and sometimes you need to be available outside of hours to “get the job done”. A not so healthy approach means that you are driven more by anxiety and concern for missing something and are checking emails constantly and the work is intruding into your relaxation time.
Segmentors prefer to have work and home separate, they will likely not socialise with work colleagues and guard the time that they spend on work strictly. They will likely give 100% during work hours but you will not be able to find them past 5pm.
As with any spectrum, there are benefits and challenges with each of the styles and of course there are some people who do both, dependent upon the day of the week or the workload. These are called cyclers they maybe happy to attend an international call at 10.00pm on a Wednesday night but will be uncontactable over the weekend or will work 7 days a week when there is a project deadline looming.
To contribute to a cohesive workplace especially with flexible / hybrid working it is worth knowing what style you prefer and that of your colleagues. It can assist with structuring communication and being thoughtful with how you approach colleagues you are collaborating with. Having a focus on developing psychological safety within the organisation so those in the team feel free to work as much as possible within their own style will increase their engagement and the feeling of support within the team. The trap of expecting people to be available out of hours or when they have an illness if they are working at home is one that over time will erode the mental health of the team. This is a fine balancing act which can be achieved and one that I discuss in my relating remotely workshops. If you would like to learn more please reach out.
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