January 10, 2017 at 9:47 am
For.U.M. Youths Section conducting survey on “The Right to Disconnect”
The For.U.M. Youths Section is working on a policy document called “The Right to Disconnect” and is conducting an online survey to gather information on the topic. Click HERE to start the survey. The idea for this policy document, which is trying to reflect the needs of today’s digital era, came after France passed a similar law in 2016 with effect from 1st January 2017. For.U.M. Youths Section took the concept and transferred it to the needs of the Maltese society after listening to over forty youth groups coming from different backgrounds and political ideologies.
Nowadays it is almost considered sacrilegious to leave work at the end of your workday or on a Friday and simply not check your work email again until you return the office during normal working hours. The constant need to check email is the trade-off the modern workforce has made for the ability to work anytime, anywhere, thanks to smart-phones and tablets that keep us always connected. From our research, three U.S. universities have found that it is not just doing a bit of work after hours that causes burnout, the true culprit is actually the constant worrying about off hour emails or electronic communication. A study called, “Exhausted But Unable to Disconnect,” by Lehigh University’s Liuba Belkin, Virginia Tech’s William Becker and Colorado State University’s Samantha Conroy, shows that employees are growing exhausted by the expectation that they will always be available, never knowing what kind of work requests will be asked of them off hours. Typically, companies do not mean to stress employees out but in general companies and governments don’t have formal policies to counter such problems.
The survey will close in mid-February. Click HERE to start the survey. Whilst thanking you for participating, you are also kindly asked to disseminate this link to your contacts.
