Ah, the French. Not only are they responsible for giving the world chocolate soufflé, pasteurisation and hot air balloons, they welcomed in 2017 with a new “right to disconnect” law. Now, in France, if you’re a company of 50+ employees, you are obliged to no longer email employees after typical work hours, except in an emergency.
“All the studies show there is far more work-related stress today than there used to be, and that the stress is constant,” Benoit Hamon of the French National Assembly told the BBC.
“Employees physically leave the office, but they do not leave their work. They remain attached by a kind of electronic leash— like a dog. The texts, the messages, the emails — they colonise the life of the individual to the point where he or she eventually breaks down.”
As a passionate advocate of workplace wellbeing initiatives – I’m excited by this move from the French to protect their personal time and nourish national wellbeing. But I wonder if this law will have the desired impact on national stress and the associated costs to productivity, health and wellbeing.
If you have a smartphone or laptop, how many times over the Christmas break did you check it, unprompted? After you flicked through Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, replied to SMS and checked your weather app – did you end up flicking through emails, just to see what changed? And well after you put the phone down, did you catch yourself worrying about work or lost in thought mulling over some hassle that wasn’t sorted before you went on leave? So while I would argue we all have the moral (if not legal) right to disconnect, how well do we exercise that right?
Research has demonstrated a link between frequency of checking email and daily stress. In one study, participants who were limited to checking email three times a day over a two week period reported significantly lower stress than those who checked their email an unlimited number of times per day. Lower stress, in turn, predicted higher wellbeing on a diverse range of wellbeing outcomes (Kushlev & Dunn, 2015).
While the new French law is a step in the right direction, what we we really need are the skills to mentally and emotionally disconnect from workplace worries. We need to learn to live more in the present moment – to fully engage with our loved ones, our children, ourselves. We need to master skills proven to enhance our wellbeing including mindfulness, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and resilience.
If you recognise the need to disconnect, join us for workwellgroup’s Mindful Leaders Retreat. Held in a luxury Byron Bay resort over three nights, this program helps senior leaders and business owners develop the skills to self-manage in the moments that matter. From dealing with productivity challenges to having difficult conversations with colleagues, we help you sharpen the most powerful performance tool in your possession: your mind.
Our 2016 Mindful Leaders Retreat made a significant impact on a group of business leaders and business owners – read testimonials here.
Having SOLD OUT our March 2017 Mindful Leaders Retreat – we are pleased to confirm we’ll be offering two additional Retreats this year:
- 15-18 May (NEW)
- 9-12 October (bookings already taken)
If you’d like to find out more or make a booking, please click here.
