Germany Ponders Anti-Stress Law Limiting Out-of-Office Contact

How often do you check your work e-mail at home? If the answer is not “never,” chances are you’re more stressed that you ought to be. Luckily, relief may be on the way… just as long as you work in Germany.

Per The Guardian:

German employment minister Andrea Nahles is considering new “anti-stress” legislation, banning companies from contacting employees out of hours. 

Reacting to rising levels of workplace stress, Nahles has commissioned a report investigating the viability of legislation that would restrict the use of emails to contact staff outside of work.

Nahles’ report won’t be complete until 2015, but evidence suggests that her suspicions are accurate — constant communication causes a lot of stress. Those of us who rarely unplug are almost always at the whim of other people. When it’s your boss trying to keep your mind on the job (when it should be on your life), weariness sets in.

The Guardian piece linked above profiles a recent study that found more Germans today are retiring early due to stress, constant and unrelentless communication being a major factor. If Nahles’ report determines that the legislation is viable, it could mean happier days are ahead für die deutschen Arbeiter. For the rest of us, all we can do for now is try our best to keep work at work and let the home be a (relatively) stress-free safety zone.

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