THERE’S A LIMIT TO YOUR ENERGY LEVEL

Since the labour deal, the right to disconnect has been a hot topic of conversation. And rightly so, thinks Elfi Baillien, senior lecturer of psychosocial risks and digital well-being at KU Leuven. “People are like batteries and need to recharge from time to time. No matter how passionate you are about your job, your energy level is limited.”

How important is disconnection?

Baillien: Very important. The workability monitor of the Social and Economic Council of Flanders indicates that the workload is not going in the right direction. Between 2016 en 2019, the indicators for stress, work-life conflicts, workload, emotional strain and overtime increased. More than half of the employees stated in 2019 that they were suffering from problematic or acutely problematic stress and workload. And that was before the pandemic. Since then, hybrid working has caused additional confusion. How do I address this problem? How do I find a structure that works for me? Disconnection is a very important aspect of that.

The question is, of course, how to do that. Technology doesn’t make it easy to disconnect from work.

Baillien: Technology has advantages and disadvantages. It gives employees more control. But at the same time, work is always there, everywhere. Boundaries between work and private life are blurring. In the past, if you left the office, you were also away from work. Now, you’re often an employee, parent, partner etc. at the same time. Always being on can be very disruptive. Interference between the different roles is much easier, so at peak moments you feel like you’re not fulfilling any role properly. No doubt many readers have had the potatoes boil over when they were quickly answering an e-mail. You’re also exposed to stressors longer because work never stops. That is exhausting, even for the most passionate employee.

How do you find a balance?

Baillien: Disconnection does not mean that you have to turn everything off at once. That doesn’t work. It comes down to setting boundaries at work. You can, for example, mute your e-mail or Whatsapp to make sure that you don’t receive any messages from work. You can turn off your notifications. You can block your screen time during certain hours. There are digital tools to help you with that. I use a focus tool on my iPhone, which filters away what I don’t want to see or hear at certain times. Employers can play an important role in this process, because not everyone is aware of the technological possibilities to

But what if your employer wants you to be available or gives you so much work that you have no other option but to go through your e-mails at night?

Baillien: Then someone needs to remind them of their responsibility. Employers bear the primary responsibility for workable work. They need to make sure that the work-life balance is okay, that the workload and stress levels are kept under control … The basic question is always why employees continue to work overtime. If it’s because of the workload, it is up to the employer to do something about it. But even if an employee ‘chooses’ to work too much, the employer remains responsible for workable work and limits to working time.

That is no easy task. Employees don’t want to be taken by the hand.

Baillien: Making strict agreements isn’t always easy. The more diverse the group, the more difficult it is. Because everyone has different possibilities and needs. A mother with young kids needs a different balance than a younger or older employee. But you can raise awareness as an employer. You can make agreements on working time that serve as a framework or tell the employee in time that enough is enough.

Which role can trade unions play in this context?

Baillien: First of all, they can raise awareness on this topic. They can help employees with disconnecting from work and tell them that it is okay or even necessary to disconnect. Secondly, they can continue to remind the employer of their responsibility. Workable work is their responsibility. It is up to the employer to keep the workload and overload under control. Trade unions are important in raising this issue.