Should we never contact anyone outside of working hours? ❌ That’s the big question right now.

A recent study shows that as many as 6 out of 10 employees are contacted by their manager outside of working hours.

And this is a year after the introduction of the ‘right to disconnect.’

So, what should we conclude from this?

Let’s flip it around for a moment. How many people are never involved in personal matters during work hours? No social media, no quick load of laundry at home?

Such people do exist. We call them ‘separators’: they prefer a strict separation between work and personal life.

The so-called ‘integrators’ prefer to blend these two life spheres in whatever way suits them best. With the risk, of course, that they find it harder to relax outside official working hours if they don’t pay enough attention to it.

(Of course, this is a continuum and not a black-and-white story.)

Now, coming back to the figures from the study: it would be good if they decreased. But ‘0’ is not the goal here. Because then you’re also asking ‘integrators’ to change who they are and how they approach (work) life.

A crucial condition for this, however, is that there are clear agreements about communication within the team. For example: “No calls or WhatsApp messages outside working hours, only emails,” and “Internal emails should be answered within 24 hours.”

How do you handle this within your team? Curious to hear how things work for you in the session!