Workplace Technology and the Creation of Boundaries: The Role of VHRD in a 24/7 Work Environment

The Problem. Significant advances in technology and the increasing ways in which employees use it in their work and personal lives have led to an environment in which employees can work nearly anytime and anywhere. Although virtual human resource development (VHRD) brings with it useful efficiencies and increased opportunities for learning, the prospect of 24/7 learning can have a deleterious impact on work-life balance for employees. The Solution. The aim of this article is to first explain how work-life balance and workplace technology interact to affect the lives of employees. The article models boundaries between these areas and recommends that attention to work-life balance become part of practice when human resource development (HRD) professionals design virtual learning or help develop workplace technologies and policies. The Stakeholders. Stakeholders include HRD professionals, scholars who study work-life balance, and organizational leaders who implement workplace technology policies and practices.