28 · MONEY
ISSUE 58
INTERVIEW
DO NOT DISTURB
The discussion on the ‘Right to Disconnect’ from work-related duties after working hours seems to be gaining ground on a national level. MEUSAC kickstarted this debate through a conference it organised recently which attracted a lot of interest. MONEY interviews Mandy Falzon, head at MEUSAC, on the outcome of the conference. What is it that drove MEUSAC to kickstart this kind of debate? Disconnecting or ‘switching-off’ after work is becoming an increasingly salient issue in an ever-increasing world of technology where an estimated 183 billion emails are sent and received worldwide each day. Most jobs require employees to follow up on workrelated emails, phone messages, or calls after working hours. Various studies, including one conducted by FORUM Unions Maltin have shown that the great majority of workers do not switch off after work, affecting their work-life balance. Another study, this time made by Colorado State University in the US, themed ‘Exhausted, But Unable to Disconnect’, showed that over 80% of workers carried on responding to emails and messages after work which created stress and anxiety. The study found that, on average, people spent eight hours a week - the equivalent of an entire extra workday - responding to emails and texts from their employer after hours. MEUSAC continues to be at the forefront
in engaging stakeholders on matters of national and European importance and we have provided once again the platform to hold these discussions because as an agency we truly believe in the need to provide the right opportunities for different stakeholders to consult, engage and agree on the right policies. MEUSAC is now gathering feedback of the stakeholders who attended the debate and participated in round-table discussions and will form a policy document that will be presented to the Maltese Government who, in turn, will use the information to determine the best plan of action. France has been a great example in terms of introducing regulations on the Right to Disconnect digitally in a bid to reduce stress for employees and burnout. But not all EU Member States have followed suit. Do you feel that in a technology-driven world, the idea is more complicated than one would think, and can it be implemented on all levels if so? From the conference itself, which was a
hands-on exercise, it transpired that there’s much more than meets the eye when it comes to introducing such policies. I mean where does one draw a line? Can something like this be implemented across all levels for all sectors? It is natural that these questions will crop up, considering the nature of the proposal. Even though France was one of the first countries to introduce legislation on this matter, putting it into practice has proved to be a challenge. One must recognise that today’s economy requires flexibility and that a one-size-fits-all solution is not possible. Another matter that stakeholders are still not in total agreement on, is whether we need legislation to regulate the ‘right to disconnect’ or whether it should be a matter that should be mutually agreed between the employers and employees. There are a few interesting examples of companies that in the absence of legislation have still implemented policies to encourage more workers to disconnect after working hours. For example, Volkswagen was reportedly the first company to implement a company-wide freeze on out-of-hours emails
