The tightening electronic leash
What does it mean to be ‘‘at work’’? Technology and attitudes to workplace flexibility are making that question hard to answer. The upside to technology and greater connectivity is that we can work remotely, from anywhere at any time. The downside is the same as the upside.
The telco 2 Degrees has been receiving positive coverage of its trial of a ‘‘digital disconnection’’ policy that allows its 1200 staff to ignore work emails when they are off the clock. The company’s human relations manager explained to media that the new approach means ‘‘home time is your time’’.
How quickly we forget history. It was only a little more than a week ago that we celebrated Labour Day, which honours the introduction of the eight-hour working day, with all its associated social benefits. Thanks to economic precariousness and the slow creep of work into leisure time, a mere eight hours feels like luxury to many of us.
2 Degrees commissioned polling which showed a third of New Zealand workers feel they must respond to texts or emails outside work hours. Reported reasons include staying on top of their workload, showing their bosses they are committed to the job, fitting in with an organisational culture in which everyone else does it, and even the fear of getting into trouble if they do not respond.
But time out is vital for mental health. People who feel they are always on call, or are made to feel their career will suffer if they are not on call, internalise the stress of work.
Unsurprisingly, 2 Degrees reports that staff have started to experience a sense of relief, only two weeks into a three-month trial.
A 2015 survey found more than half of New Zealanders say they are expected to be available outside work hours, lower than a global average of 57 per cent. That rose to 65 per cent in the AsiaPacific region, reaching 89 per cent in China.
Other surveys tell similar stories. A 2012 poll of 4100 business executives in 33 countries found that while 77 per cent appreciated that technology lets them be flexible, 70 per cent noted that technology brings work into their personal lives. A greater proportion – 75 per cent – work during paid time off.
Is there a solution? Some economies have legislated for greater work-life balance. Law introduced in France in 2017 required companies with more than 50 employees to create times when staff cannot send or reply to emails. French politician Benoit Hamon described technology as an ‘‘electronic leash’’ that allows employees to leave the office but not leave work.
We are in a time of mixed messages about work. Predictions about automation and the future of work tell us we need to be flexible and multi-skilled or risk permanent redundancy. The ‘‘gig economy’’ is a nice way of saying we should all expect fewer guarantees and greater precariousness.
Expansions of paid parental leave and a recent trial of a four-day working week speak to advanced understanding of the need for time off, but there are contradictions. The relative novelty of the 2 Degrees approach shows some attitudes have become entrenched and too many of us are prepared to allow or even encourage work to invade our precious and hard-won leisure time.
‘‘People who feel they are always on call, or are made to feel their career will suffer if they are not on call, internalise the stress of work.’’