Technology & the Worklife Balance

Few would disagree that the boundaries between work and home life are becoming increasingly blurred as a result of developments in information technology and social media, but should the UK consider adopting something similar to France's latest plans?

It has been reported that the French government is about to vote through a measure in Parliament that would give French employees the "right to disconnect".

The proposal is that companies with 50 or more staff introduce a policy prohibiting employees from sending or responding to emails outwith normal working hours, generally in the evenings and at weekends.

President Francois Holland's Socialist Party say that the intervention is needed to address the growing, universal problem of permanent connection and associated work related stress. The issue was summed up by French Socialist MP Benoit Hamon: "Employees physically leave the office, but they do not leave their work. They remain attached by a kind of electronic