In years gone by weekends were sacrosanct. No one worked on Sundays, no shops were open, banks and restaurants were closed, and the day was spent with family and at church. On Saturdays those shops that were open were closed by lunchtime. These days, however, there are almost no businesses that aren’t open normal hours over the weekend, even some bank branches are open on Saturdays, and for shopping malls, garden centres, cafes etc. the weekend is the busiest and most profitable time of the week.
There is a downside to this though. When exactly do people get a break? Not only are businesses open seven days a week but employees in all sectors are contactable via email and smartphone 24/7, thus experiencing potential digital burnout. Wherever you go these days you’ll see people glued to their smartphones, particularly in places that should be for leisure purposes only – the swimming pool, the café, the rugby ground, the children’s playground.
The French government has decided that enough is enough, and are about to vote through a new measure, known as “El Khomri’s law’, after the Labour Minister. The law gives employees the ‘right to disconnect’, requiring companies to set up a charter setting out the hours in the evenings and during the weekends, when staff are not supposed to send or answer emails. Benoit Hamon, MP, says ‘All the studies show there is far more work-related stress today than there used to be, and that the stress is constant. 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’.
The law is a great idea, but in reality is likely to be difficult to enforce. However, if it just gets people to stop and consider the need for down time, then it will be partially successful at least.
How much time do you spend each weekend, on your phone or computer, checking and answering emails? Do they really need an immediate answer? What would happen if you waited until Monday to answer? Do you send an email expecting a quick response, even though you are encroaching on someone else’s weekend? I guess the question is, ‘what are weekends for?’ Are they a time to recharge, connect with family, spend the money you have been so busy earning all week, and generally relax so that you are good to go for the next week of work? Or are they a time to catch up on work, emails, proposals etc. without the distraction of colleagues around you?
I think most of us would prefer the first option so, rather than wait for the government to legislate leisure and downtime, let’s just take the initiative ourselves and go out for brunch on a Saturday morning without our phones. Go to the bach without the laptop. Or go the whole hog and head somewhere where we can’t even get mobile or internet connections! That might cause anxiety in itself initially, but imagine the sense of release once you get used to doing without your technology for a day or two?
So, why not take the challenge? Reclaim the weekend for yourself, not your employer or your business – long term you are going to be both happier and healthier, and that can only be a good thing!