Have you heard about what’s going on in France?
France has some different laws regarding work and it looks like they are or might be adding a new one.
The new proposal is a directive to businesses to encourage employees to turn off access to email during non-working hours.
It seems that France has a history of limiting work. I guess there are laws or rules about working hours, overtime and more.
This new one is interesting. Work hours have kind of changed in recent years with the explosion in popularity of mobile devices.
Do We Have Too Much Access?
It seems extreme for a government to tell a business what it can and can’t do. I see how government leaders might be encouraged by voters to put rules like this in place. I don’t know the culture that well in France so i can’t speak much about how they operate, but this new proposal is interesting.
I don’t think we’ll have a law in America similar to this one, but it’s something interesting for business leaders to examine because there is potentially some benefit.
Young adults use their phones about five hours each day.
And that’s just the phone. When it comes to business and work we can still access email and cloud software and storage from laptops and computers and tablets.
Is five hours too much? I don’t know if I can say for sure.
But it’s also interesting to note that we don’t think we spend as much time as we do using our phones. The study above found that people typically spend about twice as much time on their phones than they think they do. I can definitely see myself falling into that category.
In many ways it’s wonderful to have access to information, including work information, all the time. There really are very few barriers today, some worry that it’s bad for our health and bad for our enjoyment of life.
Some psychologists feel that with our heads and focus in technology that we’re missing out on the world that’s happening right in front of us.
There is also evidence that smartphone use is causing a number of ailments and injuries. And too much work can lead to increased stress and even heart issues.
Taking The Lead On Access
There are two things I think business leaders can do when it comes to having too much access to work.
First, I think it’s up to business leaders to lead by example. So much of the culture at your company is reflected in the way you conduct your life and your business. Your team looks to you for an example of how they should act and work.
If you’re accessing your work at all hours of the day then your team will think that they’re expected to do the same. If you’re sending emails at midnight then you’re sending the message that your team members should be up in the middle of the night working and getting things done.
Now, I understand that sometimes the late night work might be a good time for you personally. Some people are night owls and are alert and get good work done at that time as compared to perhaps working early in the morning. You can communicate to your team that this is how you operate, but that they’re not expected to necessarily do the same. There are also some interesting tools, I believe, that allow you to schedule emails and communication. Say you write an email at midnight, but don’t send it until later in the morning during work hours.
Second, you don’t necessarily need to set rules for employees to not access work-related things during off hours. it’s an option, but you can simply encourage it as well by communicating your expectations to your team.
If you notice that someone is perhaps getting burned out by work then reach out to them and have a conversation about why they’re doing so. See if they feel pressure to work that way. See if there are other solutions. For example, a worker may feel that they need to do more for fear of not doing a good job. Explain your expectations. If they have too much on their plate see if you can rearrange projects and tasks.
In general, it’s good to have employees that are not overly stressed all the time and in disarray.
Conclusion
We’re accessing information quite a bit today. It’s always kind of been a case with humans. We’ve had radio, TV and other tech in the past, but now we have smartphones, tablets, laptops and more.
France is looking at putting regulations in place that encourage businesses to have employees unplug from work during non-working hours. It’s interesting because workers can feel a need to access work information especially when it’s so easy with the tech we have today.
It’s something for business leaders to look at. You don’t necessarily want employees accessing work at all hours. It can lead to burnout and health issues. And healthy, alert workers are typically better workers.
Just because you turn off the work, though, doesn’t mean that employees will turn of all information. But you can lead by example. You can turn off your phone and your access. You can discuss how you unplug and pay attention to the world in front of you.
It can be beneficial for your personally, but also for your team and for your business.
