What if we really gave life to the right to disconnect?

Is disconnecting a luxury?

In the speeches, everyone agrees: We must be able to disconnect. In fact? It gets stuck. And that goes for offices as well as workshops, in large and small businesses alike.

Key figures that speak of disconnection

• According to a study*, 71% of French people continue to answer their emails or business calls... while on vacation !

And even outside of vacation, the trend is there:

• In 2019, 89% * of women and 85% * of men felt that work was heavier than before when they were on vacation ;
• In 2020, 49% * checked their professional email several times a day while on vacation, compared to 42% in 2018.

*Source: Qapa study, On vacation, French people are increasingly unable to disconnect from their work, July 2020 & Qapa study, French people and vacations, July 2019.

The paradox: everyone is talking about it, no one is disconnecting

Businesses talk about charters, ofdeals, d'workshops on disconnection. But in real life, the practice clashes:

• Aux habits (answer in a few minutes, even on Sundays);
• To the pressure implicit (efficiency, responsiveness);
• Au lack of rules clear on the ground;

Result: we remain “reflexively connected”, even when it is forbidden.

Always “on”: what are the consequences for mental health?

The phone that vibrates at 22:00 The “quick” email sent during the holidays. The WhatsApp pro channel that never sleeps. You will certainly have understood it, always being reachable is not just a question of comfort... it's a real mental health issue.

Mental load and alertness fatigue: what you accumulate when you never cut

When there is no longer a real outage, no right to disconnect, you never really recover. Result: a mental load that is increasing insidiously.

• We keep in mind what we have not finished;
• We anticipate emergencies on Monday, even on Saturday;
• We remain in “alert mode”, even outside of work.

This Alertness fatigue ends up exhausting our capacity for attention, concentration, and even decision-making.

Hyperconnection, stress and sleep disorders: a well-known trio

Far from being trivial, the sequence is documented: hyperconnection → cognitive overload → stress → insomnia.The constant consultation of the messages pro stimulates the brain, prevents it from resting. It's a vicious circle:

• Stress is increasing;

• Sleep becomes less restful;

• Irritability and low spirits set in.

And these effects are not reserved for high-pressure jobs: any employee exposed to an absence of limits can suffer.

Collective risks for businesses

Over-commitment is not sustainable. When the disconnection is not respected:

• The teams are gradually disengaging;

• The Turn-over increases, often silently;

• Les voltages appear, between colleagues or in relation to management.

The vagueness around availability ends up undermining trust and adding to the social climate. At the level of a collective, it is an organizational time bomb. However, When we act on disconnection, we also act on collective energy, sustainable performance and loyalty. https://www.qualisocial.com/wp--2.jpg

Law exists, practice less: what the law (simply) says

Faced with this observation, a question often comes up: but what does the law say exactly? Because yes, The right to disconnect exists, black on white since 2016. But between The text and The reality on the ground, there is often a world.So before you think of “charter”, “agreement”, or “procedure”, short detour through what the law provides, by asking yourself How can that (really) be applied.Since January 1, 2017, thanks to the 2016 ordinances, Businesses with at least 50 employees are required to address the right to disconnect as part of the annual negotiations on the quality of life at work. In concrete terms, this means that they must:

• Or conclude a collective agreement on the subject;
• Or, failing that, draw up a charter after consulting the CSE.

The objective? Establishing regulatory procedures of the use of digital tools to guarantee the respect of rest periods, holidays, and personal and family life. 📝 But be careful: this right is not a ban on connecting outside of hours, nor an automatic sanction in the event of an email at 9 pm. Above all, it is a question of setting a clear framework, adapted to the activity and the tools used.

A charter is good. A culture is better.

An agreement or charter may specify:

• Expected periods of non-availability (ex: no emails after 19:00);
• Best practices to adopt in terms of emails, instant messaging, teleworking;
• Training devices or to raise awareness about disconnection.

But without managerial embodiment or exemplarity on a daily basis, these documents often remain... dead letters. It is the concrete application, which makes the difference, often directly made by the managers who set the tone. And it often starts with certain perceptible signals: a manager who dares not to respond right away, a manager who respects the rest of his teams, a company that adjusts its tools.

And SMEs in all this?

This right to disconnect does not end with the size of the company. Even without a formal obligation to negotiate, structures with less than 50 employees are just as concerned:

• Because the risks of mental overload spare no one;
• Because field jobs (logistics, maintenance, construction site, etc.) are also subject to interruptions and demands outside the expected time;
• And above all, because the flexibility of a small organization can precisely facilitate the implementation of simple, adapted and effective rules.

You don't need a strategic committee to say, “We don't write messages to each other after 8 p.m.” Disconnection is also a matter of shared common sense.

Disconnecting is also a collective project

If there is one thing that the terrain shows, it is that Disconnection cannot be decreed, it is built. And above all, it is not based solely on individual responsibility: it is a team, service, and company dynamic. Organizations that really make progress on the subject do not content themselves with a message at the top of the mailbox. They set up simple, visible and shared rituals:

• A non-solicitation period between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m., with emails scheduled at a later date;
• Pro telephones automatically switched off at the end of the service;
• Collective reminders in team meetings to value those who respect time off;
• Dedicated moments to take stock of the mental load or the invisible excesses.

Managerial exemplarity, the real trigger

No disconnection charter will replace a manager who gives the money., and who, while on vacation, leaves his pro phone aside. Or who starts meetings on time so as not to overflow unnecessarily. Or who does not respond to his emails on Sundays, even “just to move the file forward.” It's this behavioral coherence that sets the tone. Teams see very quickly whether the discourse on pro/personal balance is sincere... or marketing. In the end, promoting disconnection is not hampering performance: it is preserve energy, restore trust, and promote engagement durable. And that, no notification can improvise.

Towards an “off” and sustainable culture: how can we make concrete progress?

For an “off” culture to take root in a sustainable way, it is first necessary to tackle the representations and beliefs linked to permanent availability at work. These are not just rules, but a real change in mentality. Here are some essential levers:

1. Work on the representations

• Raise awareness the importance of rest time as a key factor in performance and well-being;
• Deconstructing the idea that not responding right away is a sign of disengagement or weakness;
• Communicate on the fact that taking a step back is a responsible act that is beneficial for yourself and for the team.

2. Valuing moments of rest in internal discourse

• Integrate in HR communications and meetings, regular reminders about the right to disconnect;
• Highlight testimonies or feedback that shows the benefits of a good work/life balance;
• Encourage managers to congratulate their teams when they respect the break times.

3. Combining psychosocial risk prevention (RPS) and recovery time in QVCT

• Include disconnection in the global policy health at work, with regular monitoring of stress and fatigue indicators;
• Implement concrete actions, for example stress management workshops or mindfulness training;
• Foster a work environment where everyone can express their difficulties linked to hyperconnection without fear.

Creating a healthy “off” culture requires a collective commitment, a clear speech and positive about rest, and concrete actions to protect mental health and encourage practices that respect personal time. https://www.qualisocial.com/wp--02-300x40.png

Go further in disconnecting your teams

Establishing a real “off” culture cannot be improvised. To support this change, you can count on the teams at Qualisocial. We offer comprehensive support to help businesses make concrete progress:

• Strategic support, in order to define a roadmap adapted to your structure and your businesses;
• Managerial training, to equip your managers to become the spearheads of this culture of respect for rest periods;
• Maturity diagnosis on the right to disconnect, which allows you to identify strengths and areas for improvement, with personalized follow-up.

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