Just like it changed our daily routines, COVID-19 has changed the corporate world for good.
Permanent changes are being introduced in the business world over the last few years, due to the life-changing pandemic that has sent millions of workers home for nearly two years.
Terms like "working from home" and "remote work" have become part of our daily lives, especially in business fields that are largely reliant on technology and can be carried out from anywhere in the world.
65,000 workers will benefit from the new ruling.
— World Economic Forum (@wef) February 2, 2022
Learn more about the right to disconnect: https://t.co/z7QmrBAZWg pic.twitter.com/B8kbbguZjt
But this transformative shift in the ways that work is being done all over the world, has come with its own cons, including the diminishing border between working hours and personal time, making balancing life and career more challenging than ever.
A study conducted by research firm Paper Giant in July 2020, only a few months after the pandemic spread around the world found that over half of respondents struggled to maintain boundaries between work and personal life. The study stressed the need for solutions that can help workers "switch off" to avoid mass burnout in the corporate world.
This need has inspired several European countries to start the conversation over workers' rights and the need for new laws that can help remote workers set the border between what is professional and what is personal.
Such conversations have weighed in prior decisions taken by major businesses even prior to the pandemic, such as the 2012 rule set by the German car manufacturer Volkswagen restricting certain staff members from having access to work emails outside of working hours.
This concern was also clearly a major one in France prior to COVID-19, as a 2017 law banned companies with more than 50 employees from exchanging emails outside of work hours, deeming it "illegal."
Last week, Belgium joined a number of other European countries by introducing a new law that grants more than 65,000 government workers "the right to disconnect", meaning they have the right to stop checking work emails or respond to phone calls related to their work.
Good to see that there is a worldwide interest in the right to disconnect. It reduces stress and burnouts, while still providing room for flexibility. Modern times require modern workplaces, and I am proud to say that our government is taking the lead in it! @BBCWorld https://t.co/sqsYHpi1v9
— Petra De Sutter (@pdsutter) January 31, 2022
The "right to disconnect" is now abiding by the law in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Slovakia, and Greece, while it is being discussed by lawmakers in Portugal and the Netherlands.
The law that is gaining increasing popularity is still limited to a number of European countries, but questions are rising on whether or not other countries, including here in the Middle East, will follow in their lead after realizing the major positive impact this rule has on productivity on the long-term.
Written by Riham Darwish
