Would You Like the “right to Disconnect” From Work?
French workers now have the “right to disconnect,” or, more appropriately, the new law requires companies to ask workers how, if at all, they can be contacted outside the office or outside of office hours. Would you like this for yourself?
Sure, the law sounds great, but not everyone has the same cultural approach to work-life balance as the French. From the PayScale article at the link below:
“Under the new law, companies will be required to negotiate with employees to agree on their right to disconnect and how to reduce work intrusion into their privacy,” writes Agence France-Presse in The Guardian. “If a deal cannot be reached, the company must publish a charter that clearly spells out the requirements and rights of employees outside of business hours.”
… “All studies show that there is much more work-related stress today than before, and that stress is constant,” MP Benoit Hamon told the BBC . “Employees physically leave the office, but do not leave work. They remain attached to something like an electronic leash – like a dog. Texts, messages, emails – they colonize a person’s life to the point that he or she eventually breaks down. ”
However, there are no penalties for companies that do not comply with the rules. We imagine that this is one of those situations where the “fine” manifests itself in the rumor about where the company is located and how it treats its employees. At the same time, there are also disadvantages. While we all hate those “I know you’re leaving today but …” phone calls and text messages, no one likes going back to the office for a pileup or emergency that had to be dealt with while you were away but just didn’t touch.
What do you think? Would you like the “right to disconnect” to be enshrined in law? Would you like it to be more enjoyable and punishing for companies that ignored it, or would you rather allow companies to make a name for themselves by balancing the work-life of their employees, thereby attracting the best talent? Let us know in the discussions below.
Workers in France now have the “right to disconnect” | Salary scale