Pro life, Perso life, how do we erect the border?

The shift to telework is not an obvious thing for all. Indeed, it can be destabilizing, and it sometimes even becomes delicate to delimit his pro life from his perso life. In order to get away with this, some employees double their devices, distinguishing the professional tools from the perso tools. But there are other, more practical and economical methods and tools that allow you to build the border between pro and perso life.

The right to disconnect

Since teleworking has been adopted by a large number of employees, many workers have found themselves having to adapt to this new mode of remote work. While some people do not care, others have more difficulty adapting. The latter generally have more difficulty erecting a border between their pro-life and perso-life. They feel obliged to be always available online, and in some cases it is the employers who demand it.

If you find yourself in this situation, then you should get to know about Right to disconnect. This right is to allow any employee to be permanently excluded from work hours by his employer on grounds related to the execution of his work.

This Right to Disconnection was introduced by the Act known as the Labour Act of August 08, 2016. It was then applied from 1 January 2017. Among its objectives, this right ensures that leave and rest time are well respected. It also guarantees a good balance between pro and perso life. Finally, the Right to Disconnect protects the health of employees.

However, to benefit from this, the procedures for exercising this right must be provided for by the undertaking. These are not defined in the Labour Code. They must therefore be determined at the company level, through an agreement between the employer and the employees. This agreement can be reached during the annual negotiation on the establishment of regulatory mechanisms for the use of digital tools, and on quality of life at work.

In enterprises consisting of several union sections of representative organisations (in general enterprises with more than 50 employees), this negotiation is ideally required annually. However, it may be done once every four years at least, if the employer and employees have entered into a collective agreement on the periodicity of compulsory negotiations.

In enterprises with more than 11 employees, if no agreement is negotiated or found, the employer shall develop a “chart” defining the terms of the exercise of the right to disconnection, after the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee. This charter provides for, for example, the implementation of awareness-raising and training for the reasonable use of digital tools for management and employees.

Tools

But to feel you at ease in telework, you should not only be based on your right to disconnect: you must organize yourself, and use a working method allowing you to feel good, while remaining effective in your tasks. It is essential that you manage to establish a border between pro and Perso life.

Fortunately, there are currently several practical and easily accessible tools that help you have a healthier homework life. Among the best known and recognized as the most effective are examples Google Focus, Android Profiles or the Focus feature in the latest iOS 15 update.

Google Focus

For Android 9 and 10 devices users, Google offers its Focus mode, an operational tool when the "Digital Well-being" feature is enabled. This mode pauses applications to block their opening, and also to prevent the display of notifications that may disturb you or deconcentrate you.

Google's Focus mode is among the many services classified as "Being". Among its services, it provides timers for applications and sites so that you can better manage your planning. Focus also allows you to cut off all or part of the different forms of notifications, disable your professional profile temporarily, and finally its Wind down mode if you do not want to be disturbed.

The Google Focus tool offers additional elements, such as automatic triggering following the user’s agenda, schedule, or deactivation option for 5, 15 or 30 minutes.

Profils d'Android

On your Android device, you can configure a professional profile to create a border between applications, professional application data and personal data. To do this, this tool will store your professional profile on a separate part of your device. Thus, your personal tasks will remain private, and will not be affected by your professional tasks.

You can request the assistance of a person responsible for IT support in managing your professional profile. Make sure that this person does not have access to your personal email, your applications, let alone your personal data. It only manages the tools and elements related to your professional tasks (pro messagerie, applications related to your work, professional data, etc. ).

iOS 15

In its iOS 15 update, Apple offers new features that allow better focus, exploring, keeping in touch, and other service that could be very useful to you for teleworking.

Thanks to this update, your FaceTime calls will become much more natural. These calls are now limited to Apple devices, since you can now create a link from your Apple device (iPad, iPhone or Mac), and share your call with a Windows or Android device via third-party applications.

You will particularly appreciate tools that promote concentration and limit sources of distraction. Indeed, iOS 15 offers the "Concentration" feature that filters applications and notifications based on what you consider important.

The environment

Now that you have the tools to foster creativity and concentration, you must now think about developing a working environment that will allow you to be comfortable in teleworking.

To erect a border between pro and perso life, start with organize your workspace so that it is isolated from the rest of the house. For example, you can install your desktop in a room that has no view of possible sources of distraction. If not possible, delineate your workspace with furniture, partitions, etc.

The border between pro and perso life is therefore not just psychological, but also physical. For example, you can use your PC exclusively for your work, and book your laptop or tablet for relaxation. You can even accentuate this border using concentration-friendly material for your professional tasks, like a bamboo mouse keyboard for example. Indeed, it is well known that wood promotes attention, creativity, concentration, learning and productivity.

Finally, set a fixed and precise work schedule, and ensure that you respect it on a daily basis, as long as you can. Following these few tips, you will be able to blossom yourself on telework. You will gain efficiency in your professional tasks, and you will succeed distinguish your personal life from your professional life.