From the Labor Law of August 8, 2016every employee has the right to disconnect. At least in theory. Because this need to “switch off” is not necessarily respected, especially when executives have files to close. At the end of 2018, 68% of managers used their digital tools in the evening, 63% on weekends and 53% on vacation. Furthermore, 37% of managers “felt guilty” about not connecting if they were asked to during their vacation – compared to 27% a year earlier (OpinionWay for Eleas).
Two years later, the pandemic is forcing the entire organization of work to change and 76% of executives are connected outside of their working hours for professional reasons (ViaVoice for Secafi/Ugict CGT). Now the whole of society must self-discipline to preserve its psychological health: in 2023, 30% of the 20,000 Microsoft 365 users send an email every other day outside of the 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. hours and are hyperconnected (CogX and Lecko study). Are they taking advantage of their vacations while the right to disconnect is celebrating its 8th anniversary? Not at all.
“The last week of vacation is often ruined by the anticipation of returning to work,” says Kim Le, Chief Marketing Officer at Deskeo (operator and specialist in office design), who reveals in a study that in July 2024, 47% of vacationers check their emails “from time to time” and 27% “regularly”.
Like the Sunday night blues
For the expert, “this period is marked by a mental projection of future professional responsibilities, which generates stress and anxiety”. They are led to deprive themselves of the last swims, because if 13% of respondents deal with their emails themselves during their vacation, 51% of July or August vacationers know that no one manages them in their absence (OpinionWay for Eleas). “This phenomenon, known as ‘Sunday evening syndrome’, is exacerbated by unread emails, planned meetings and pending tasks”, analyzes Kim Le.
“At first glance, Sunday rhymes more with joy, relaxation and pleasure, than with sadness, tension and gloom. However, many people do not appreciate this day, assimilating it to a slow, progressive and inexorable fall in morale. A fall which generally reaches its paroxysm at the beginning of the Sunday evening, hence its name: Sunday evening blues”, describe Florian Ferreri, psychiatrist, and Gautier Bouchaud, school teacher (Beating the Sunday Night BluesHachette, 2016). Researchers from the University of Exeter (UK) suggest that triggers for the blues, even as the boundaries between work and home have blurred since the pandemic, can include receiving emails on the weekend, unfinished work from the week before, and the self-imposed pressure to complete it. This projection of tasks that await on Monday, turns into an XXL fear of everything that accumulates for the manager on vacation. Deskeo’s study shows that many employees resolve this neurosis by staying connected, making the transition to the end of the holidays even more difficult and preventing a real disconnection.
To believe oneself indispensable
Why are so many people focused on work during the last days of vacation? According to Kim Le, “the fear of falling behind, mentioned by 32% of respondents, pushes them to anticipate upcoming tasks. In addition, 37% of employees feel indispensable because of their responsibilities. Finally, for some, work is closely linked to their identity and routine, making the transition to a vacation rhythm difficult. This lack of disconnection is often reinforced by a corporate culture that values constant availability, although only 9% of employees indicate that their employer expects them to be available.”
So, to really enjoy their holidays, 64% of employees recommend banning access to work emails in the future and 53% that their management actively encourages them not to work. A necessity to preserve their relationship or family: 68% of respondents admit that working on vacation is not accepted by their loved ones (Deskeo).
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