• Digital Presenteeism: Employees may feel they need to be constantly available online, responding to emails and messages at all hours to demonstrate their engagement. This can lead to burnout and decreased productivity over time.
• "Always-On" Culture: Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that 77% of employers observed presenteeism among remote workers. This "always-on" culture can make it difficult for employees to "disconnect" and take necessary breaks.
• Mental Health Impact: The stress and mental health challenges associated with the COVID pandemic have intensified presenteeism. Many employees continue to work despite feeling unwell, driven by job insecurity and financial concerns.
• Management Challenges: Employers must recognise and address presenteeism in remote settings. This includes promoting a healthy work-life balance, encouraging regular breaks, and providing mental health support.

Labour's proposed "New Deal for Working People," an essential part of their election manifesto, would introduce a "right-to-switch-off" for employees, allowing them to ignore work-related messages outside their contracted hours.

The right-to-switch-off policy, introduced alongside promises to prohibit unfair zero-hours contracts and establish flexible working as the standard from the beginning, aimed to prevent households from becoming constant workplaces after the COVID pandemic.

On Friday, 19 July 2024, Downing Street clarified that P.M. Sir Keir Starmer was committed to delivering the right-to-switch-off plan but suggested it would take time to develop.

The spokesman said that the Government is committed to making work pay and ensuring that working people are protected from exploitative practices and supported to ensure that employees assist them in being as productive as possible.

"Good employers understand that workers need to be able to switch off because that is good for productivity." But added that situations may vary, and there would be some circumstances where staff needed to be reached "out-of-hours".

The spokesman also said that the government was exploring different models implemented in various countries to support productivity and work flexibility and would provide updates.

Conversely, there have been warnings that the ban on out-of-hours-emails could risk pushing down wages, with the extra cost burden on businesses passed on to workers.

Source: msn.com

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