It's 10 o'clock. The need for coffee is felt in the office. Almost everyone joins us in the break room. And then Jean-Mi tells you that he received a Slack message yesterday at 6.30pm, right in the middle of the little one's bath. It's been annoying him all evening, and apparently even this morning. Right next door, Catherine is about to go on vacation, and she's determined to keep up to date with everything that's going on in the company while she's on vacation, otherwise she won't be able to make the most of it.
At the end of the day, the right to disconnect is quite subjective. So how do you go about applying a general law to such different individuals?
We'll make it short: you probably already know what the right to disconnect means. At least in broad terms. All employees have the right to disconnect from work. In other words, not to have to work outside their normal working hours, answer an e-mail or a call, or be solicited in any way whatsoever.
This applies to paid vacations, but also to the morning before arriving, the evening after work, and weekends.
In short, we can contact you during working hours, period.
Thanks to the law: in itself, this right is essential in an age whenhyperconnection affects almost everyone. Now, in practice, things are bound to be a little different...
Let's say your colleague contacts you at 7pm and suggests you eat out the next day because he's too lazy to prepare a meal. Are we still talking about the right to disconnect?
If everything were crystal clear, we'd know. But there are still a few grey areas. So, an initial definition is very useful as a basis, but it' s not totally sufficient.
We've all talked about our job to introduce ourselves when meeting someone in our personal lives. And we've all discussed work with our nearest and dearest.
In fact, work is one of France's top 3 favorite topics of conversation (according to a study unveiled at the 7th Festival des Conversations, 2019)!
Try it out at your next family meal or drink with friends: we challenge you to go as long as possible without the subject coming up around the table.
Proof, if proof were needed, that there's no such thing as a strict pro/personal boundary. The employee you are remains the same person outside work.
And the boundary of the right to disconnect is even more blurred when colleagues become friends. Perhaps you're one of the 81% of employees who believe that work can be the source of friendships. So if you talk to each other outside the office, is it so bad to bring up work at some point? Such self-imposed limits would be rather counter-productive.
The important thing is simply to respect everyone's opinion!
"Young people, you're always on your screens": we've all heard this phrase from Grandpa Bernard or Auntie Huguette. But with a little hindsight, they're not so far off the mark. Today, hyperconnection affects more than just Generation Z! Thework email address connected to the personal smartphone, the company Slack channel with notifications enabled... And the temptation to check a message as soon as it appears on our screen.
But why do we stay so connected at work? According to our Wellness Manager, Ophélie Glachet, there are several reasons:
- Perfectionism: disconnecting from work can be a source of stress for personalities who find it hard to let go and need to stay in control.
- Company culture: this often comes into play. I'm sure you know someone who doesn't dare disconnect from work for fear of reprisals. Many companies still believe that responding quickly means being more involved or more efficient.
- Practicality: being able to read your e-mails on the move, check colleagues' requests during a meeting... As if missing a message in a second would jeopardize your job (spoiler alert: no).
All the more so since certain professions are more affected. Creative professions in particular, where the sense of connection to work is permanent. The brain never stops creating new ideas, even at 2 a.m. during insomnia. There are also jobs that involve a lot of responsibility. Special mention goes to executives, 76% of whom say they use new technologies for professional purposes on their own time(according to the Ugit-CGT-Secafi barometer, 2020).
As we have seen, this law provides a significant basis, but each company applies it in its own way. Firstly, not all companies have the same vision of things. But employees themselves have their own views on the matter. And all points of view are equally valid, because everyone adapts this individual right to their own perception. Camille prefers to turn off all notifications as soon as she leaves the office. Guillaume will leave notifications on, but only respond to them if he deems them urgent. And Léo will stay connected morning, noon, evening and weekends included, without finding his work notifications disturbing.
The key is to ensure that each employee's choice is truly free, and not biased.
This is where the role of the company and the manager in respecting this right is crucial. Employees must not feel any pressure, however subtle, or any privilege granted to those who never disconnect. The risk: employees who really want to take advantage of this right would force themselves to answer the phone even at weekends, in order to look good and appear more committed. But the unhappiness this would engender would be good for neither the employee nor the company!
✅ S chedule your shipments!
Scheduling an e-mail or message for the next day will avoid disturbing your colleagues at any time of the evening. And encourage all colleagues to do the same, so that the habit becomes ingrained for everyone 😉
✅ Invite everyone to disable notifications outside their working hours
✅ Cultivate a healthy corporate culture so that everyone dares to express their needs and limits.
PS: At Moha, we can help! We can help you draw up a disconnection charter. Discover our offer!
