With everyone owning a smartphone, it’s not surprising that people are reportedly never switching off. So much so, that research suggests checking your work email or messages outside your working hours is adding an average of five EXTRA hours to your working week.
It’s for this exact reason that Germany are now considering introducing new laws that will make it illegal to email colleagues after 6pm.
The German minister for Labour, Andrea Nahles, is taking action after research proved that workers who were constantly accessing their emails had a higher risk of suffering from poor mental health.
Speaking to the Rheinische Post, Nahles said:
“There is an undeniable relationship between constant availability and the increase of mental illness.”
The new legislation could limit worker’s access to their emails outside office hours as early as 2016, which would make Germany the first country to pass this law.
The news comes similar legislation from neighbouring country France, who passed a law requiring workers to turn off their smartphones after 6pm.
