KEY POINTS:
- Softgrid locks the computer an employee is using when their shift is up in a bid to tackle overwork culture.
- The firm’s employees say they’re sleeping better and are more motivated.
- Working long hours kills hundreds of thousands of people a year, according to the World Health Organization.
An Indian start-up is battling the culture of overwork and long hours by locking its computers and sending employees home with a pop-up message.
“Please go home!” the message tells workers of Softgrid Computers, warning them the system will shut down once their office hours are up.
Employees were shocked at first, with head of management Mohammad Ali Fanee saying most were used to working at companies where they needed permission to clock off.
“We believe in work-life balance; we believe when you are happy with your family, you work pretty well,” he said.
The Indore-based firm’s employees – who number about 40 – say they’re sleeping better and are more motivated.
Working long hours kills hundreds of thousands of people a year, the World Health Organization said in 2021, a trend that worsened during the health crisis.
‘Right to disconnect’
The “right to disconnect” refers to an employee’s right to be able to disengage from work outside normal working hours.
India does not have such laws, which were pioneered by France in 2017. They require employers to negotiate with unions over protecting staff’s home lives and granted workers the right to ignore work communications outside of working hours.
France was followed by Italy, Spain, Belgium, Ireland, and Portugal.
However, specific “right to disconnect” laws differ from country to country. In February, Kenya became the latest country to propose a “right to disconnect” law to protect employees’ mental health.
Indian start-up Softgrid is battling the culture of overwork and long hours by locking its computers and sending employees home with a pop-up message. Credit: Reuters
How about Australia?
A legislated “right to disconnect” from work could be on the horizon for Australia after a Senate committee last year recommended Australia join the small handful of countries where people have a right to disconnect from their work environment out-of-hours.
The Senate Select Committee on Work and Care’s interim report recommended that the Fair Work Act be amended to enact the right, and to give people recourse to the Fair Work Commission if employers don’t enact or respect it.
The committee said such a law is needed to address the changes in “workplace boundaries” driven by technology and exacerbated by the pandemic.
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