In many ways, globalization is a good thing. The cost of many goods, manufactured or designed overseas, has decreased.  We have lots more choices in the stores than ten years ago.

Yet globalization is also creating expectations for employees of being available, more and more hours of the day. I noticed this with coaching clients who manage employees around the world. The electronic leash of a Blackberry ensures that no matter what hour or where you are at, there’s no excuse for being unreachable.

The Wall Street Journal published an article entitled, "Time-Zoned: Working Around the Round-the-Clock Workday."  Early morning calls to Europe and late-night calls to Asia make for 18-hour workdays. The impact? "The long hours pose not only a risk of burnout and lost creativity, but ripple out to touch all facets of employee’s lives," says the author of the article, Sue Shellenbarger.

The author provides examples of companies starting to notice and take heed. In some companies, specific weeks and days are designated where meetings are discouraged or even banned. Or they are eliminating the need for meetings with collaborative online tools, like Wikis.

In the end, individuals need to take responsibility for shaping their lives, by setting boundaries and sticking to them. One manager I know has a team of 20, some of whom are overseas. He arrives at work at 6am and feels guilty if he leaves at 4pm. And yet, he’s religious about showing up to his bowling league and going on golf vacations with buddies.

Hooray for boundaries! It keeps us all sane…..