Setting boundaries in working hours

WHAT: An interesting trend is that it has become a criminal offense in several European countries for managers to request that their employees be available for work outside of agreed working hours. This has its origins in the fact that teleworking places higher demands on the employee to maintain hygiene between working hours and leisure time, something that studies of domestic workers have shown is difficult. As part of trying to protect employees and create a sustainable working life, part of the responsibility is now placed with managers and employers. This in turn can have implications for how working hours will be handled overall, and how productivity can be measured.

SO WHAT: This is yet another sign of the shifting balance of power between employers and employees, which could lead to organizations ceasing to regard their employees as “resources” and instead see them as “people” and take all aspects of it into account . It also places greater demands on the organization to create structures for evaluating and optimizing internal communication, which is a major step in creating self-leading employees.

https://www.arbetsgivarverket.se/ledare-i-staten/arbetsgivarguiden/pagaende-anstallning/distansarbete/
https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/12/11/the-difficulties-of-policing-remote-work
https://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardsegal/2021/09/07/9-best-practices-for-remote-working-agreements-policies-and-procedures/?sh=5b0efa731f2d