Digitalisation is about merging innovation, efficiency, and collaboration through advanced technologies. It changes the way workflows are managed, promotes remote work, and improves business outcomes by promoting data-driven decision-making. In a digital world, right to disconnect helps employees balance out their work and their personal lives. 

There are some countries already that have made it a law to ensure the mental health of employees. Building healthy workplaces and encouraging productivity requires the right to disconnect. In today’s connected world, it has created a fair balance between working and living a normal, non-connected life.

Understanding the Right to Disconnect

Right to disconnect allows employees to end work-related conversations normally during non-working hours without any penalty. It allows people to keep a better work-life balance and allow them to enjoy time with others without interruptions. The goal of disconnection is to establish clear boundaries between work and personal life and increase employee well-being. 

It helps disconnect and reduce stress and burnout. Time spent in resting and rejuvenating increases energy and attention, which improves productivity. It ensures that employees can take care of family and responsibilities and that they can get more engaged when at work. The right to disconnect ensures workers enjoy balance because professional and personal flourishing are mutually reinforcing.

Digital Age and Work-Life Balance

Work and personal life have gotten blurred in the digital age. Working is easy with digital tools, anytime and anywhere. However, constant connectivity is terrible for mental health and relationships with people. After-hours work communication often adds stress for employees. This impacts their entire well-being. 

The right to disconnect gives employees the right to log off after work hours. It enables them to set boundaries and also keep their mental health. It disconnects, so there is time for family, hobbies, and rest. Limiting after-hours work communication promotes employee well-being. Personal time is important as it helps with your productivity and happiness. Healthy, and more satisfied, teams come from ensuring employees can unplug after work.

Global Perspectives on the Right to Disconnect

As a means of addressing workers’ work-life balance inequities, the right to disconnect is making waves around the world. An important measure of this, is the ability to not reply to emails and messages outside business hours. France led the way in this in 2017 by requiring organisations with fifty or more workers to set out measures prohibiting work-related communications outside working hours.  

The Italian law enacted in 2017 define remote employees’ rights to have an opportunity to rest and be disconnected from their working responsibilities.  As of the year 2021, Ireland new Code of Practice was launched. It focuses on employees’ right to disconnect which means right to be off call outside working hours.  All these measures are with the intention of preventing burnout and improve employee health.

Benefits of Implementing the Right to Disconnect

The Right to disconnect law allows employees to stay away from the workplace independently during their personal time. Evaluate the right to disconnect benefit and its effects on work-life balance.

  • Improved Mental Health 

By allowing workers to detach themselves from work, they can minimise stress and disease. The better the mental health you have, the more apparent this line will be. Employees are relaxed and focused during their work hours.

  • Increased Productivity 

If employees get time to recharge, they go back to work so much better and more positively. It results in higher productivity. When employees can disconnect from work after hours, they are more engaged and more motivated.

  • Better Work-Life Balance 

The right to disconnect benefit promotes a better, healthier work-life balance. Employees can look after family and friends as quality time. Pursuing hobbies, and interests outside of work, allows for overall happiness.

  • Enhanced Job Satisfaction 

Employees who are respected and valued by those who employ them are happier in their jobs. The Right to Disconnect shows that employers are looking out for their workers. Lower turnover rates and higher employee retention are a result of this.

  • Improved Relationships 

By disconnecting from work, employees have more time to be in contact with personal relationships. It helps the family bond and make friends. Overall, life satisfaction is tied to healthy relationships.

Side-by-side Comparison of Work-Life Balance Metrics

Before ImplementationAfter Implementing
High-stress levels among employees.Reduced stress and anxiety.
Poor mental health.Better scores for mental health.
No or less personal time.More time spent on personal and non-work activities.
Low job satisfaction and high turnover rates.Higher job satisfaction and lower turnover rates.

Strategies for Balancing Work and Personal Life

A good work-life balance does ensure employee well-being. Here are some work strategies for that. 

  • Set Boundaries 

Define precise working hours. Do not check emails or answer calls during these hours. It is able to create a separation between work time and personal time.

  • Prioritise Tasks

Organise your list using a to-do list. First, focus on important things first. It can save you time to work and then be able to do personal activities as you have time.

  • Take Breaks

Take scheduled breaks during work. Short Breaks can increase productivity and reduce stress. Now is the time to stretch, walk, take it easy, and sit.

  • Utilise Flexibility 

If your work hours are flexible, use them. Personal commitments need to be adjusted so that you can fit your work schedule. It will result in better balance.

  • Practise Self-Care 

Allow yourself time for hobbies and relaxation. Do things that support physical and mental health. That improves overall well-being as well as productivity.

Future Outlook

More companies are coming around to the idea that the right to disconnect is important, and the future of the right to disconnect looks promising. Working after-hours is becoming a practice that employees request boundaries around. 

This trend could also mean better work-life balance and better mental health. Today, many organisations are beginning to adopt policies that enable their employees to unplug after hours work communication. Ultimately, this change can ultimately improve productivity and employee satisfaction, making for a healthier space for all of us.

Conclusion

The right to disconnect is important for a healthy work-life balance. It gives the employees the freedom to turn off from work outside their hours. This can be a stress lifter and prevent burnout. It helps to create a more supportive environment by encouraging boundaries. Such an innovative system will make employees happy and more productive. In the digital world where work often flows into personal time, embracing this right is essential.

FAQs

What is the right to disconnect?

    The right to disconnect means employers can’t expect employees to reply to work messages after hours. Work interruptions don’t occur, and employees can relax and recharge. This right ensures a healthy work-life balance.

    Which countries have implemented the right to disconnect?

      It was France that became first to adopt the right to disconnect in 2017. Similar laws have also been introduced in other countries, such as Spain, Italy, and Canada. These laws protect workers’ time.

      How does the right to disconnect benefit employees?

        Stress can be reduced for employees with the right to disconnect. It also allows them to better manage work-life balance. Workers are feeling much more refreshed and focused at their place of work.

        Can the right to disconnect improve productivity?

          The right to disconnect can actually help with productivity. An employee is more energised when they take time off. It then stimulates their creativity and efficiency at work.

          How can employees set boundaries for after-hours work communication?

            By communicating when they are available, employees can set clear boundaries. They should let other colleagues know when their off hours are. Establishing these limits helps to respect your time as you sort out your priorities.

            What role does technology play in enforcing the right to disconnect?

              The right to disconnect can be enforced by technology. Email scheduling and automatic replies provide an easy way for an employee to manage communication. Notifications from apps can be limited after hours.

              Chrysalis School is a hidden gem that is absolutely amazing. The experience started when we were driving through in search of school for our kids and saw this attractive newly built school.

              Our interaction with school alumni assured us that our child will be in the best hands with the teachers and staff. The faculty and staff truly care about the students and are available around the clock to help with student needs.

              Cheers!
              Yaduveer Singh & Tanu Chaudhary

              I started my journey at Chrysalis High in the third grade, and have been studying in the same till now and from all these years, I can say that Chrysalis High has the best staff and curriculum.

              PUPA (Prior Understanding of Pupil Attributes) is a unique method used in Chrysalis High to understand a student’s learning ability, skills and emotions. They gain this knowledge from the parents and us in an effort to understand us better. The extracurricular activities, inter-school competitions, sports and cultural days organised help incorporate fun and games along with academics.

              The student council and the elections for its positions familiarise a student with a sense of responsibility and teamwork. Studying at Chrysalis High has helped me grow to my full potential and has indeed trained me for the exam called life.

              I would like to thank all the teachers and staff at Chrysalis High for making my learning experience the best.

              Indrani-Singh

              Ms. Indrani Singh

              Chief Vision Officer, Principal, Chrysalis High Marq & Head - Chrysalis Kids

              Ms. Indrani Singh possesses a MSc and B.Ed degree to her credit. She has over 10 years of experience in the field of education and has climbed the rungs of leadership with her sheer dedication, hard work and love for her profession. She joined as the Head of Chrysalis Kids in 2013, which is a pre primary school of Chrysalis. Her out of box thinking and her ideology of doing the right thing for the children have helped her to pioneer new processes to make learning an enriching experience for the children. Across a period of seven years, Ms. Indrani Singh has become a flag bearer of Chrysalis vision, especially the PUPA (Prior Understanding of Pupil Attributes) Program. Indrani brought in the idea of Pre-CHAMPS to all Chrysalis schools. Known for her ideation & focus on quality, Indrani leaves no stone unturned to ensure children have a wonderful learning experience at Chrysalis. In 2017, she was made Associate Academic Director – Pre Primary & again promoted to Academic Director – Pre Primary, a role she handles along with the responsibilities of Chrysalis High, Marq. Under her supervision and guidance, many initiatives like Pre-CHAMPS, AwSTEM, Festival of learning were initiated and appreciated by all. Today she handles multitude of responsibilities from heading two schools to overseeing the Pre-Primary Curriculum Team of Chrysalis as the Academic Director. In addition to these profiles, she was recently promoted as Chief Vision Officer to propel PUPA, an initiative of Chrysalis, to greater heights. To this day, her ideas and her sheer determination to always try something different and new makes her a formidable and integral part of Chrysalis. With an unending pandemic looming over us, the future for education looked uncertain. But Ms. Indrani with her belief that learning should not stop for the children, ideated on the perfect balance of online and live class model to suit the learning styles of the children. The plan started with what best would suit the children and also help the working parents who were facing their own challenges and obstacles. The online model started with curriculum videos which the Chrysalis teachers recorded with the right guidance and methodology which was well defined by her. The live classes began with once a week class to slowly introduce the children to digital learning. With children adapting to live class, the sessions increased to add more to their knowledge. Teachers were sensitized about the challenges of live class and how to ensure that they do the right thing for the children and be an integral part in their learning given the circumstances. Providing the right support to parents and the challenges they faced, were also key elements of the whole digital teaching process. Providing individual support to the children was one way to ensure we partnered with parents to provide the right support to the children and ensure that the learning did not stop.

              Transport

              We provide a fleet of well-maintained buses with trained drivers and lady attendants. Special care is taken while appointing the drivers, to ensure that only the experienced and qualified drivers are appointed after undergoing a driving test. The buses are equipped with safety equipment and a first-aid kit in case of an emergency.

              Being GPS enabled, the school can locate the position of a bus at any time during commute and in case of a breakdown, can send a replacement bus instantly. To avoid rash driving and speeding, speed governors are installed in all the buses.

              Salient Features

              Nutrition

              The School serves balanced and nutritious vegetarian snacks and lunch to students who have opted for the facility.

              To supervise students during lunchtime, a teacher is appointed for monitoring each table. Children are trained to keep themselves clean and display correct dining manners.

              Reverse Osmosis systems for purifying drinking water are available across the campus throughout the day.

              Student Safety and School Security

              Safety Always a step ahead!

              Chrysalis is inarguably the only school where at no point of time, any child is left without supervision of a female teacher!

              CCTV Cameras- Entire premises

              Precautionary measures

              Working at Chrysalis High has been a wholesome experience for me. What stands out for me is the support I receive from the school management in standing by my vision and passion as a teacher.

              It would not be an exaggeration in the slightest, if I said that I feel always supported by the principal, coordinator and staff in performing my duties to the best of my abilities. This makes me confident that I would be given room to grow as an educator. It feels great to be part of a group that takes meaningful steps towards turning our philosophy and values into action!

              The values we would love to instill in our students at Chrysalis High are strongly rooted in our hearts by our compassionate and efficient school heads and mentors and model them to our students.

              The induction programme has been nothing short of immense learning and much-needed guidance to face all our challenges head-on and it has helped prepare ourselves for the year ahead.

              At Chrysalis High, I find myself doing what I love to do, staying true to what I strongly believe in and above all I can see myself as a passionate learner with new opportunities to learn each and every day. To top it all, the love and support my students shower on me is an additional perk without which I cannot be the happy teacher that I am today.

              Suhasini. S
              Secondary Teacher

              Chrysalis High team integrates compassion into their teaching standards, emphasizes the importance of values and builds leaders through each of their classes and lessons. It allows for a lower student to teacher ratio. Online teaching during difficult times of Covid – 19 was indeed a huge challenge for all schools but the support provided by the school to transcend the challenge of teaching students by providing apt and timely training to teachers in online teaching methodology is commendable. This has been very useful to students as well as their parents. The teachers had worked hard in coming up with innovative methods of teaching to keep the students up breast with subjects with their enthusiasm intact.  It’s been a wonderful journey for me at Chrysalis High so far.  The entire team works in unison with one thought in mind – the betterment of the children.

              My sincere thanks to Principal ma’am, Coordinators and last but not least my colleagues for the constant support and love.

              Upasana Banerjee –
              Primary Teacher

              I am very happy studying at Chrysalis High Bannerghatta Road. I got admission during the lockdown period. The online classes were well organized and very interactive.

              I gained a lot of knowledge during online classes, and the teachers understood us quickly and were there for us at all times. Even though we didn’t meet personally, the atmosphere at Chrysalis was always very warm and supportive. Even though online classes were new to everyone, our teachers were able to identify where we were lagging, and they provided Individual Support Classes (ISP).

              The teachers are very interactive, friendly with us, and support us to come up with our own ideas. Practical explanation of the subject through STEaM is also one of the most exciting sessions in our school. The teachers also covered extracurricular activities and enrichment activities during the online classes. The warm welcome by the teachers to the offline classes made us more excited to attend school and a day at Chrysalis High with my friends and teachers is something that I eagerly look forward to every day.

              Chrysalis High, is a great school which develops a good foundation for kids both academically and also in character building. Both the pre primary and now the primary school years for Samay, have been socially nurturing and academically challenging. Our son loves his school, he has come a long way from his nursery days till today, the 3rd grade.

              Everyone at school, be it the Principal, Coordinators, teachers or the administrative staff, all have been really cooperative and supportive. Chrysalis also has one of the best parent – teacher relationship!

              Overall, Chrysalis High, has been a wonderful experience for both Samay and us till date. We appreciate the great work and looking forward for more!

              Regard,
              Kavita

              I have been in Chrysalis High BG Road since 2018. The teachers have laid a strong foundation, helped me improve on my basics in all subjects and played a major role in me evolving into the best version of myself. My school has given me many opportunities to develop my leadership skills and I will always feel grateful about that. I have made many friends in the last couple of years, thanks to the warm atmosphere at Chrysalis High. During online classes our school left no stone unturned and even though our classes were online, they ensured we learnt with the same enthusiasm.

              My Voyage at Chrysalis High Marq has been spectacular and overwhelming. The school has positive vibes that makes it a beautiful shelter for not only students but also for the teachers. Here at Chrysalis we are motivated to nurture the young minds in the best possible way.

              I learnt number of years of work experience is not that counts, what is more important is the quality one possesses through their learning experience. I thoroughly enjoy teaching and unfaltering curiosity.

              Chrysalis High is an impressive organization that makes educators feel supported and equipped. I ’am proud to be a part of this institution that strive to take eloquent steps to transform our care philosophy and values into effective action.

              I feel privileged to be an integral part of such a proficient and progressive workforce. Chrysalis oozes integrity and excellence that is t=refreshing and essential in our daily duties.

              Chrysalis exemplifies what it means to be an organization that is “To help our children excel by understanding them, guiding them on the right path and strengthening their self belief.”

              I enjoy working at Chrysalis High because this is a place where high energy meets absolute dedication.As a teacher, each day is a new day for me and I fully value the myriad opportunities that enhance my experience.

              I also appreciate the unique working atmosphere and  the collaborative culture  that allows me to grow not only as a professional, but also as a person.

              The school provides me with a lot of scope to interact with children and their parents, and this gives me an opportunity  to gain deeper insights into ways to help each of them achieve their academic goals.

              The school’s vision for children is a guiding principle for all of us. It is indeed a pleasure to work with my immediate superiors who are both-understanding and supportive in all aspects. Together, I am certain that we will have a mutually enriching and exciting academic year ahead.

              Anuradha Shankar Venkataraman,
              Employee, Chrysalis High Marq

              Chrysalis High Marq has paved new roads of possibilities of learning and fruitful experiences for both teachers such as myself and the students.

              The things that are most satisfying for me are the never ending opportunities to learn, perform out of the comfort zone and most importantly the endless love that I receive from the children. Life is a continuous learning process and Chrysalis High Marq has made it possible by giving me many opportunities to be creative in the way I work. The whole team works as a family by supporting and helping each other at any given point of time .

              The motivation, appreciation, support and positivity received by us is in turn passed on to our students. The school believes in the holistic development of all its children and takes all the necessary measures to nurture the young minds in a fruitful way. I am extremely proud to be a part of the Chrysalis High Marq family.

              Shivani
              Educator, Chrysalis High Marq

              In the field of Construction, they say- “ A well-designed and strong foundation keeps the building standing while the forces of nature wreak havoc.” The same purpose that a foundation serves for a building, schooling does for our children- ensures they are wholly prepared for the journey called Life!

              Having worked for a few schools in the past, I was aware of the paramount role a school plays in the initial nurturing of a child. While joining Chrysalis, I expected a similar school environment as in my past, but to my astonishment, things were incredibly better. While the academics here are indeed exceptional, even better is the focus on the character development of each child. Teachers know their Children really well, beyond just recalling the child’s name; all thanks to initiatives like PUPA. The teachers nurture children in a way that is not just caring and loving but also instills in them qualities like compassion, collaboration, empathy and many more from an early age. Children are also encouraged in a way that they constantly thrive to develop confidence in their own unique abilities.

              Well, what we reap is what we sow; and not just the teachers but the whole team in Chrysalis believes in this fact. We work together tirelessly because we know we are nurturing kids to form a responsible and noble generation for the future!

              Anjali E
              Faculty, Chrysalis High Marq

              I have been a student at Chrysalis High Marq for two school years and from what I have experienced, I can tell you it is a great school. The staff is excellent and the rules help keep the school safe and in order.

              There is an equal balance of learning and reviewing the information. There are enrichment activity classes as well to where we have life skill and ink well sessions that help in the refinement and polishing of the mind. Chrysalis has initiated many activities for students. We have engrossing and fun-filled Indoor Champs, Performing Arts classes, Buddy interaction time etc. The teachers in Chrysalis are hardworking and determined . I am so proud and lucky to go to Chrysalis!

              Sean Lennon
              Grade VIII