Give up your guilt: ‘Out of office’ can mean ‘out of contact

Give up your guilt: ‘Out of office’ can mean ‘out of contact’

The majority (66 per cent) of New Zealand’s workers say employers should have a policy that encourages employees to limit the amount of time spent working after standard business hours and on weekends.

According to a survey by recruiting experts Hays of 1,516 New Zealand & Australian employees and employers, of these, 10 per cent said their organisation already has such a policy in place.

But over half said there’s an unwritten rule that they must respond to work communications on weekends or during non-business hours all the time (13 per cent) or on occasion (34 per cent).

Jason Walker, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand, says it could be time for us to decide what’s expected of workers on weekends or non-business hours.

“It’s been a long time since most of us worked 9 to 5,” he said. “Many New Zealanders are working longer hours, which extend past standard business hours into our evenings and weekends.”

Last year French workers won the legal ‘right to disconnect’ from emails outside business hours. The policy came into force on 1st January 2017, and limits the encroachment of work during non-working hours by legally giving employees working for companies with 50 or more staff the right to turn off digital devices and technology.

"These measures are designed to ensure respect for rest periods and ... balance between work and family and personal life,” said France’s Ministry of Labour to CNN.

But there is some disagreement as to whether this resolute policy would work in New Zealand. According to the Hays survey, 24 per cent of respondents say their organisation should adopt a similar strategy to France’s. A lucky 10 per cent already have a similar policy in place at their workplace. Another 28 per cent think it’s a good policy but don’t believe it would work in their organisation.

22 per cent don’t like the policy and 16 per cent aren’t sure.

For these final 38 per cent, Jason suggests their ideal solution could be more malleable and come in the form of work-life ‘integration’.

“As opposed to work-life balance, with a scale balancing work on one side and life on the other, integration involves amalgamating work with the other elements of one’s life,” he said. “Whether that’s caring for children or older relatives, health and wellbeing activities, voluntary work or any other personal priorities, integration means life and work overlap and flexibility cuts both ways.

“While this doesn’t suit every role, for those who have a job that doesn’t require them to be physically present in a particular location at certain times, it’s certainly an option worth exploring.”

Hays is the most followed recruitment agency on LinkedIn in the world. Join Hays’ growing network by following Hays Worldwide. You can also get expert advice, insights and the latest recruitment news by following Hays on Twitter @HaysNewZealand.

Hays, the world’s leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

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