WITH MILDNESS, REFLECTION AND PARTICIPATION, WE TAKE STEPS FORWARD

“When I look back on my career, I did not see my children very often. And they missed me because of the many hours that I worked.” Is this a quote by a male executive, 65, who is about to retire, with a bouquet of flowers in his hand thanking his spouse for supporting him through the years? Oh no, this is a quote by a female friend. Sorry guys, for this typical example of stereotyping.

The friend in question is far from being 60, but she sees herself going down the same road and openly wonders what she is doing. “Are we, female knowledge workers, executives and managers, not just following in the footsteps of our male colleagues? And that in a time when more men and fathers are setting boundaries? And if we don’t want to go down the same road, what then?” I am aware that I run the risk of being accused of making women feel guilty. I apologise in advance, because that is not my intention. But we mustn’t sweep such issues under the rug. We must look for solutions together.

Keeping this sometimes hilarious but also uncomfortable chat in mind, I will assess the new government measure on disconnection. Technology has made working before and after the traditional office hours significantly easier. The result has not been so much a shift as an accumulation of working hours. And now that more women are moving into positions of responsibility – still too few, admittedly – we too have our share of that. Recovery time is crucial for health and well-being, so companies need to make the right to disconnect more concrete. I am a fan.

The critical reactions, however, aren’t entirely unjustified: it’s a drop in the ocean, the root of the problem is not addressed, one measure is not going to make a difference … But I am still a fan. Especially of the discussions on the topic. I’m less of a fan of imposed rules without reflection or participation. What exactly does the right to disconnect mean? How do we prevent PCs, smartphones and tablets interrupting our weekends and holidays? How can we make employees and their managers more aware of this? How does social dialogue on working and recovery time fit into our organisation’s culture? Those are the questions I want to discuss with my colleagues.

And a hint for Tom, Bart, Lieze, Diane, Saida and Georges: be kind to yourself when you get the feeling you aren’t there enough for yourself, your partner, your children, your parents … What’s done, is done. Think about it, look ahead and deal with it. Talk about it with you colleagues. Our employee delegates would like to put the topic on the agenda with you.