Our Head of Operations and HR, Lisanna Mwanza, considers the importance of rest in an “always available” leadership culture.
We work in a culture where it is increasingly possible to be available all the time. Messages reach us wherever we are. Meetings stretch across time zones. Hybrid working has given many of us welcome flexibility, but it has also made the boundary between work and rest easier to blur.
For leaders, and for those supporting leaders, this matters. Rest is not a reward for finishing everything, because the work of purpose-led organisations is rarely finished. It is part of how we sustain ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually. Without it, commitment can quietly become empty; and silent and slow disconnection can reduce the very perspective, empathy and energy that good leadership requires.
Building a culture of rest starts with small, practical choices. It can look like protecting time between meetings, being thoughtful about when we send messages, and making space for focused work without expecting instant responses. It can also mean being clear about what is urgent and what isn’t. When teams understand the difference, people are better able to plan, contribute and switch off without anxiety.
Rest also needs to be designed into the way we work overtime. Leave should be a genuine opportunity to step away, not a period of quiet monitoring from a different location. That requires good handovers, shared knowledge and confidence that others can make decisions and keep things moving. If a team depends on one person being permanently available, the risk is not only to that person’s wellbeing but to the resilience of the whole organisation.
There are simple ways to make this real. If you know you have a block of leave coming up, prepare a clear handover so colleagues know what is happening, what needs attention and where they can make decisions. Build shared ownership before it is needed, rather than leaving cover to chance. And give yourself permission to create distance for example remove work apps from your phone, move them off your home screen, or set boundaries that make it easier not to check in.
These are not small acts of disengagement. They are acts of care, integrity and collaboration. They help us return with freshness, better perspective and more energy to lead well. In a sector committed to an equitable, sustainable future, we should be equally committed to working in ways that are sustainable for people too.
