The Detachment Paradox: Why HR Bias Punishes Employees Who Unplug

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Employers love to say they support work-life balance and encourage you to take your PTO. But here’s the workplace reality: when employees actually unplug, they’re often seen as less committed, and less promotable. Welcome to the detachment paradox.

In this episode of WTF is Business Casual?!, Jenny and Sarah unpack the HR bias that rewards “always on” employees and punishes those who set healthy boundaries. It’s the messed-up cycle that fuels employee burnout, slows career growth, and leaves leaders scratching their heads about why people keep quitting.

Drawing from corporate HR experience, research from Harvard Business Review, and their own stories, the hosts get candid about how organizations really evaluate “commitment” at work—and why leaders need to rethink what performance looks like.

In this conversation, you’ll hear:

• Why workplace detachment (logging off, PTO, boundaries) helps performance but hurts promotions
• How unconscious HR bias still favors visibility and “green dot” culture over results
• Real stories of burnout, PTO guilt, and leaders who say “set boundaries” but expect 24/7 availability
• The generational clash over hustle culture, career growth, and work-life expectations
• What France’s “Right to Disconnect” law shows us about protecting employee wellbeing
• How commitment bias skews performance reviews and promotability decisions

Jenny and Sarah also get personal about their different leadership styles. One is wired to respond immediately, the other is comfortable letting things wait, and how those differences play out when managing clients, careers, and sanity.

If you’ve ever been penalized for taking a vacation, wondered why promotions go to the loudest hustlers, or debated whether “healthy boundaries” and “career growth” can actually co-exist in today’s workplace, this episode is for you.

We want your take. Have you seen the detachment paradox play out in your own company? Or caught yourself judging employees (or yourself) for unplugging? Share your story with us on Instagram @wtfisbusinesscasual.