Digital Wellbeing & Focus in the Attention Economy

In the modern workplace, attention has become a scarce resource. Constant notifications, multitasking, and digital overload can reduce cognitive performance and increase stress levels. This session explores digital wellbeing as an organizational and leadership matter. Participants learn how technology impacts focus, mental health, and workplace culture — and how to build healthier digital habits without rejecting technology. We tackle email use, meetings and the impact of AI in written communication and as emotional support of employees. The neuroscience of infinite scrolling on internet browsers and our phone becomes clear and we can be more intentional about our technology use, without eliminating it.

The session includes interactive elements such as:

• Digital Culture Audit reflection
• Inbox Snapshot exercise: for a better relationship with our email
• Case study discussion (Digital Detox Study – University of St. Gallen, Switzerland)
• Short self-assessment exercises on technology and phone use

Participants reflect on both personal and organizational digital behaviors.

Participants will learn how to:

• Understand the impact of the attention economy on cognitive performance
• Recognize digital overload patterns
• Protect focus and reduce distraction
• Improve meeting and email hygiene
• Apply simple focus-protection strategies immediately
• Reflect critically on AI use in written communication
• Build sustainable digital routines

Digital tools increase efficiency — but they also reshape how we think, focus, and recover. This session explores:

• The neuroscience behind dopamine and digital engagement
• The importance of the Default Mode Network (why boredom supports creativity)
• The design mechanisms behind infinite scroll and attention capture
• The link between excessive digital consumption and stress
• The role of leadership in modeling healthy digital behavior: use of chats, emails, meetings guidelines and more
• Through practical exercises and case studies, participants examine how digital habits affect performance, collaboration, and wellbeing.

The session also addresses emerging questions around AI use in communication — exploring both productivity gains and potential cognitive or relational risks. Participants leave with 2–3 immediately applicable changes to improve focus and digital
balance at work.

The Feedback Dilemma

Feedback is considered essential in modern organizations — yet it is often poorly delivered, misunderstood, or emotionally charged. This session challenges traditional feedback models (including the “feedback sandwich”) and explores why feedback frequently fails to improve performance. Drawing on insights from organizational psychology and communication research, participants learn how to give feedback that fosters clarity, trust, and psychological safety. Because feedback is not just about content — it is about relationship.

Assertive Communication: An Important Ally at the Workplace

Clear communication is a core driver of psychological safety, performance, and wellbeing at work. Yet many professionals avoid difficult conversations, overcommit, or struggle to set boundaries — leading to stress, resentment, and inefficiency. This interactive session introduces assertiveness as a practical workplace skill and as a tool for better mental wellbeing at work. Participants learn how to express needs clearly, manage conflict constructively, and say no without guilt — while maintaining respect and collaboration. Assertiveness is not aggression. It is clarity with empathy.