The Right to Disconnect for Foodlers
Every year, the Day without a Phone gives us the opportunity to reflect on our relationship with technology and its impact on our mental well-being. At Foodles, this day holds particular significance, highlighting our commitment to the Right to Disconnect and our company culture focused on the well-being of our employees.
To better understand the implications of the Right to Disconnect, let's start by defining this concept. According to the definition, it is the right of employees not to be constantly reachable outside of their working hours.
The right to disconnect aims to:
- Ensure respect for rest and leave times
- Guarantee a balance between professional and personal/family life
- Protect the health of employees.
Remote work, while offering many advantages, makes disconnecting difficult. Firstly, due to the lack of physical boundaries, it's challenging to establish clear boundaries between professional and personal life. Without the physical separation of an office and access to necessary technology for remote work, it's easy to find oneself working outside normal hours.
At Foodles, we strive to provide solutions to encourage disconnecting during remote work. A Telework Charter is available for all Foodlers to raise awareness about disconnecting and their working conditions outside offices. Additionally, managers have access to a prevention program on this topic through the Foodles Academy.
For those who don't have access to these tools, here are some examples of attitudes to adopt to encourage disconnecting :
- Establish clear working hours: Define specific time slots during which you are available to work. Outside of these hours, make sure to completely disconnect and dedicate time to your personal activities.
- Create an end-of-day routine: Set up a routine to mark the end of your workday, whether it's tidying up your workspace, exercising, or engaging in a relaxing activity. This will help you transition from a work mindset to a relaxation mindset.
- Use time management tools: Use calendars or time management apps to organize your workday.
- Practice digital disconnecting: Step away from screens and electronic devices after your workday. Limit your use of social media and work emails to allow yourself to fully relax.
The right to disconnect is much more than just a legal concept at Foodles. It's an integral part of our company culture, aiming to create a balance between the professional and personal lives of our Foodlers. For example, we limit the scheduling of meetings before 9:00 AM and after 6:00 PM, thus fostering an environment conducive to a healthy work-life balance. It's also possible through our internal messaging platform Slack to turn off notifications outside of working hours to disconnect.
This approach not only contributes to productivity but, more importantly, to the mental well-being of our Foodlers.
In line with our commitment to the Right to Disconnect, at Foodles, we also emphasize the prevention of burnout. Recognizing early signs is crucial, and we encourage our Foodlers to be attentive to these indicators. (For those who missed it, our article on burnout prevention: https://jobs.foodles.co/en-GB/posts/burnout-how-foodles-is-committed-to-the-well-being-of-its-employees)
By taking a proactive approach, Foodles is committed to providing an environment where employees can thrive while preserving their mental well-being. Take care of yourself because at Foodles, your well-being is our priority. 🧡