Australia has recently enacted a law which gives individuals working in different organizations the right to ignore their higher-ups who try to contact them after their work hours. Under the Right to Disconnect, the employees are allowed to neither read nor respond to any official communication beyond their stipulated work hours. While there can be exceptional situations, but the broad idea of the initiative to spare employees from the rigmarole of their official work even after they are finished off for the day’s work is clear. Australia is the not the only country in the world to take up such a bold initiative to protect the personal and family life of employees; there are about a dozen countries both in Europe and South America who have taken up such initiatives.
In the backdrop of this initiative to protect the private space of employees beyond their working hours by Australia and various other countries, a number of individuals reacted on its pros and cons and whether it is really a good idea to log off after one’s working hours.
Dr Oinam Sareeta Devi, Secretary of Kasturba Gandhi Institute of Development feels there is really thin line separating office and home life. She feels the relationship between employer-employee depends on the type of organization one is working – government service, companies and business, civil society organizations or institutions like schools and colleges. According to her the cultural context and type of country one lives is also important. Devi, who also teaches in a local college says it is difficult to divide the official and home time, though she feels the aim should be to strive for proper work-life balance.
“There are times when we have to spend a whole evening at home preparing notes for the class the next day,” she points out, “This accentuates during and after exams. Almost every time I bring answer sheets home for checking, this takes lot of time.” She argues these are work which are superior do not tell; the answer sheets have to be checked by any means and the results have to be announced. It is part of one’s duty and even if one has to burn the midnight oil, it will have to be done, Devi argues.
Notwithstanding the realization of one’s duty and the need to give cent per cent to do it, Devi feels unnecessary meddling in one’s private life after duty hours by the bosses is not a healthy trend. “If the bosses need to discuss something critical, then they have the whole day to discuss. If one gets a call from the boss to discuss official things while one is spending time with one’s family or cooking, it is encroachment in one’s personal space,” she says, “If it is not emergency, and still the boss decides to call up to discuss, it should be called inefficiency. “
While arguing that one-size –fits-all-norms cannot suit all individuals or organizations, Arish, the Director of Naamak Publications is strictly in favour of encouraging work-life balance. He stresses that in ventures like a publishing house which requires constant innovation and creativity from the entire team, if the employees are not fresh, they cannot give their creative best. Arish points out that he is clear about how he encourages his employees to maintain work-life balance and encourages them to rewind every now and then. “I try to be flexible in my approach and engage with my team members according to mutual convenience; there are coercive techniques that are used to extract the maximum out of the employees,” he says.
While initiatives like that of Australia and other countries which have enacted the Right to Disconnect might be difficult in a country like India, Arish feels it should be the responsibility of the employers to help their employees with their work-life balance. He talked about how small businesses and start-ups coerce their employees to work an astounding 12-14 hours a day and give very little holidays. “I can tell you these leads to burn-out, contributes to high turnover rates, and seriously contributes to the quality and efficiency of work,” he underscores, “There is a limit beyond which an individual cannot work, they are after all humans.” “We have to treat all our employees like human beings and respect their dignity,” he quips.
However, before encouraging work-life balance of our employees, we have to start with ourselves, Arish argues. If we are not able to have our own me-time or family time, we will keep on interfering with our employees’ private time, he points out.
Mayank Mathur, an IT expert makes a poignant point in the context of developing economies like India where there are high rates of unemployment and job insecurity. He says in this context, the employees automatically come under the mercy of their employers who can force them to work well beyond their stipulated hours. In this regard, Dr Sareeta Devi observes employers are not at all concerned about the health including mental health of their employees as there are no dearth individuals searching for jobs.
According to Mayank Mathur, both employers and employees need to learn the art and science of effective time management, prioritization and goal-setting so that together they can strive to maintain a healthy balance. He underscores the importance of introducing mindfulness practices in modern day organizations which helps in nourishing the mind, body and spirit of all. Overall, self-care should be given a priority, Mathur argues.
In the backdrop of increasing cases of disengagement between employers and employees due to poor work culture in organizations, Mathur feels there should be transition towards prioritizing experiences, relationships, and personal growth over materialism. As soon as we decide to get into the rat race to double productivity by any means and brow-beat our competitors, we are getting into the realm where we are forced to compromise on the work-life balance both of the employers and the employees, Mathur says.
Complimenting all efforts which helps employees life a healthy and meaningful life, Mayank Mathur argues that given the modern day pressures, deplugging which entails disconnecting from work- related tasks, technology, and responsibilities outside of work hours. Failure to deplug can lead to many modern day lifestyle disease like stress, depression, anxiety disorder, and burnout. In this context, Mathur articulates on the need to be deplug literate wherein an individual develops the critical skills to effectively deplug so that they can improve their mental and physical health. An individual who is deplug literate will designate device-free zones in her/his house; this could be their bedroom or dining space. Further, they will be able to use technology wisely where they can limit their work-related activities outside the working hours. According to Mathur, an important pillar of being deplug literate is the ability and ingenuity to say ‘no’. He feels most of the times individuals in order to enhance their stocks in front of their employers take up more work than they possibly can do productively. In such situations, their efficiency suffers. So, it is important to be mindful of taking up excessive work or responsibilities that can encroach one’s personal time, he adds.
So, while there can be arguments and counter arguments on the right to log off or disconnect, the overarching goal should be to encourage work-life balance which promotes mental and physical health and contributes to genuine happiness and well-being. Mayank Mathur’s concept of deplug literacy can be an important skill to develop in the contemporary times for our overall well-being.
