Should Right to disconnect from work be given to Indian employees also?

Should Right to disconnect from work be given to Indian employees also?

Introduction:

Internet connectivity made life easier to such an extent that people everywhere have started staying connected to family, friends, and work from dawn to dusk. While staying connected with personal life at work is discouraged by employers, it also needs to be maintained that people get the right to disconnect from work when at home.

Recently, we heard France talking about the right to disconnect from work emails at home. The concern was brought forward for their rising “burn out” among employees due to their well-known hidden hours of work outside their 35 hour week. Private life and professional life balance is at risk of becoming highly imbalanced in such a situation.

In India, this ratio is even worse with more competition, lesser jobs and growing anticipations of proving our worth, there is a rat race for working more. Should we also be addressing on the right to disconnect from work when at home?

For:

1. Stress and anxiety disorders: In a recent survey it has been found that people who have an imbalance in personal and professional life are more prone to suffering from stress and anxiety related disorders. They are at a high risk of becoming obese and losing appetite resulting in diabetes and heart problems. One needs to be free from work related stress once at home. These are the hours that a person needs to deploy towards rejuvenating with family and friends. Getting work related emails all the time disturbs the balance, sometimes to such an extent that the person starts distancing himself from socializing very often.

2. Weakening personal relations: When one is unable to give the much needed time and attention to family and relations that are close to him/her, they start weakening. We already know the way in which our personal relations are getting distanced. We rarely have time to socialize with people who are an important part of our personal lives. Taking them for granted when one is too engrossed in work activities even when at home creates disturbances in relations. According to a survey, it is found that 90% of the divorce and separation cases arise in families where people have less time to spend with each other without being disturbed.

3. Lack of entertainment: Everyone needs some entertainment and fun in life to rejuvenate. In our busy schedules, we mostly allot weekends for recreational activities which in fact, a small part of recreational activity should be a part of our daily life. Catching a game of pool with friends after work should not be much of a problem if we could actually disconnect from work related issues after office hours. To be able to enjoy, one needs free mind which is not possible if your boss is constantly reminding you of the presentation for the next day.

4. Too much screen time: After spending the entire day brooding at the computer screen, one needs some no-technology time. Due to constant staring at computer and mobile screens, eye drying and itching are some common problems faced by people, not to mention the bigger issues we hear about every other day on the drawbacks of overusing technology. People can for once ignore other attractions that their alluring smartphones offer but once it comes down to work, there is no denying attention. They actually get our undivided attention which is meant for anything but work after office hours.

5. Performance gets affected: Unless and until one has the right balance between work and private life, they are not capable of performing to their best capability. It has been found that people who disconnect work after office hours and spend good time relishing with friends and family or enjoying a sport of their choice, actually performed better than those who put in extra hours to work and stayed connected even while at home. If our country needs better workforce, we need to give them the much needed right to disconnect from work after office hours.

Against:

1. For those who need to be pushed: Not everyone is punctual and dedicated to doing their job as per the deadlines and schedules. Managers mostly have a hard time pushing employees under them to perform as per the demands of time. Laws such as these that call for total disconnecting of work emails after office hours would only bring stress of bosses and managers who would face dreaded days of seeing unfinished work by employees who would always have a list of excuses ready for not being able to do the work on time. There is no denying that there are too many of people who need constant pushing to get them do their work on time.

2. Important reminders: Work emails at home are usually reminders of an important deadline or guideline that needs to be kept track of. We cannot simply disconnect from our duties of being diligent towards the responsibility endowed upon us. India needs people who can work harder and not run and postpone their task for the next day.

3. We are lazy enough: Ever seen how work progresses in government offices? Apply for something and wait for your turn every other day only to find there are a bunch of lazy retards who wouldn’t do anything for you unless you keep reminding the officers from the lowest to the highest rank. Waiting for the approval of a loan takes longer enough to make us give up on the original plan for which we needed the loan. These are the people who take office hours as a long holiday, not to mention the added incentives don’t lessen if they do not feel like working. In India, disconnecting from work seems like a not so suitable idea after all.

4. Too many holidays: In India, we already have too many holidays for which we break from work. This is the time which can be spent and enjoyed well with the family and for other personal reasons.

5. Urgency: Professionals like doctors, technical support before getting into the profession know about their out of work hour duties. A doctor who is contacted by a patient or his family for some serious condition can’t deny to attend him.

Conclusion:

France is still debating on the right to disconnect completely from work emails when at home. As suggested by the advocates of those that initiated this debate, it won’t be successful until managers and bosses lessen the work pressure on employees.
In India, it would be extremely difficult to determine if such a rule would be properly implemented even if it is passed. Managers would find some way to connect to their employees if they want to ensure that their message reaches out. However, such rules can always be implemented considering that the pros of its implementation would be more on the whole.