“If you're always available at work, you're taking a big risk”

Anyone who is always available to the employer after work, on weekends or even on vacation is endangering their health, warns occupational psychologist Alexander Häfner in an interview with ntv.de – even leading to burnout. Anyone who thinks it doesn't bother me is mistaken. Anyone who thinks there is no other way is the same.

ntv.de: As of this week, Australians have the right not to be available to their employer in their free time. This is also generally true in Germany; many employees are still contacted by their superiors when they should actually be recovering – and do not dare to ignore such requests. Are you doing yourself a favor or just your boss?

Alexander Häfner: Research shows that it is good for the quality of sleep if you can switch off in the evening. If I read emotionally stressful emails in the evening, I probably won't sleep well. That's why it's best not to deal with emotionally upsetting topics before falling asleep.

So would it make more sense for employers to only contact their employees during their working hours?

From my point of view, it is good when standards are developed internally, and in my opinion accessibility is definitely discussed and regulated in companies. There may actually be emergencies in which it makes sense for both parties to avert a “disaster.” Let's think about a serious IT problem that would lead to massive problems the next working day if it couldn't be solved that evening. Despite sophisticated shift, replacement and on-call services, emergency situations are conceivable in which it may be important to contact employees in their free time. That's just the reality. In real emergencies, in my opinion, employees also have a great understanding of the situation. Caution is therefore advised when it comes to blanket regulations. But from an employer's perspective it is also unfavorable if the standard is that employees are constantly contacted in their free time. This has no positive effect on employer attractiveness, employee satisfaction or health.

Especially those who have a difficult time with their boss or are new to a company, for example, often find it difficult not to answer in their free time. How can I differentiate myself without having to fear professional disadvantages?

I would recommend clarifying your expectations, especially as a new colleague, on various topics. For example, before my first vacation at the latest, I should ask for a good replacement solution so that I can have a good rest. Anyone who makes offers for a solution can avoid conflicts. In the vast majority of cases, managers also have a great interest in finding a constructive solution. For employer attractiveness, it is very relevant that employees can develop a high level of satisfaction. If an employer still expects employees to be available every day while on vacation, I would ask that this be limited to absolute emergencies, for example an impending production shutdown that only a specific person can prevent. We should see this as a negotiation process.

But how realistic is that?

In my observation, that has changed. I also know top managers who, for example, are available for half an hour or an hour a day while on vacation – and not constantly online like before. For employees without management responsibility, constant availability, even in the middle of the night, no longer fits in with the time. In terms of employer attractiveness, I would be surprised if a company had long-term success with this. Of course there are differences, but there are also large companies that, for example, technically switch off business emails after a certain time. Others have a rule that no one can expect to receive a response after 5 or 6 p.m. Some companies have been dealing with the issue for years. This can be managed through good organization: good preparation for vacations, discussing substitutes, and clarifying foreseeable problems in advance.

Can a generational difference be identified here – are younger employees more likely to let their superiors fidget than older employees?

Due to changes in the labor market, older employees are now making rest and regeneration times (even) more important. As a result of the shortage of skilled workers, both younger and older people are contributing their interests more. In practice I can't tell any difference based on age.

Is it also a matter of personality whether someone is always available and yet not stressed?

Of course, there are individual differences, but science shows that constant availability poses a threat that increases the risk of health problems. I warn against thinking: This doesn't matter to me. The risk of negative effects is particularly high in the long term. It's like smoking: Of course there are people who smoke 20 cigarettes every day and still live to be 90 years old. Nevertheless, smoking is a health risk, and that is no different when you are constantly available.

What risks are these?

This can lead to burnout. For example, if the quality and duration of sleep suffers and states of exhaustion increase. Then I can get to the point where, in the worst case scenario, I can no longer work for a long time and need intensive medical and psychotherapeutic support in order to be able to work again. You have to be careful, even when it comes to so-called interested self-endangerment.

How do employees put themselves at risk?

In order to get more done and appear particularly productive, some employees skip breaks – even going to the toilet -, extend their working hours in the evening and use other strategies to somehow still get their work done. In the medium and long term, the consequences can be serious. It can take time to admit to yourself that this is not good or to realize the consequences. The consequence can even be disability, so I would strongly advise against thinking that it doesn't matter to me – I can work every evening, on weekends and on vacation. Like air to breathe and something to drink, we humans need breaks and longer regeneration phases. If someone says I can cope without fluids, we would also say that it doesn't work in the long term.

If I still don't feel able to ignore requests from my boss in my free time, what is the best way to deal with this?

In the spirit of personal responsibility – and all employees have a duty to cooperate – I would recommend not reading emails after 6 or 7 p.m. or even turning off your work cell phone. If the employer expects me to be available 24/7, I would advise addressing this and, if nothing changes, looking for another position. Even though the labor market situation is currently gloomy, it is very likely that I will find a job now or in the foreseeable future where this is not expected. You should leave such a health-threatening situation.

Even if I'm otherwise happy with my job?

If someone still wants to stay because a lot of things are very good, I would recommend having intensive and repeated discussions with the manager. I would say that it stresses me out and look for a mode that suits both sides. If the manager is not willing to do this, possible contact points are employee representatives, human resources departments or, in some companies, mediators. If that doesn't work either, I would really leave this situation.

Even if their superiors don't expect it, some employees find it more relaxing to read work news every now and then while on vacation so that they don't end up with a mountain of unread emails and therefore perhaps unresolved problems. Are you right?

I would rather recommend keeping half or a whole day free after your vacation and creating more time for work in the first week of work. Before going on vacation, it's important to arrange your replacement well so that time-critical things can be taken care of while I'm away. If a “mountain” of work cannot be avoided after the vacation, I would define a specific time window in which I would take care of it during the vacation – and coordinate this with fellow travelers such as my partner or family to avoid conflicts. If possible, I would avoid this because studies show that longer breaks are more relaxing.

You are an employee yourself – are you always available or when does your employer have to do without a direct answer?

He has to get along without it sometimes, and that's completely okay. I have a good, stable team and am only contacted on vacation in real emergency situations. This is entirely doable and has worked very well for 20 years. Even after work, I am usually not available; that is not necessary in my job or rather the absolute exception. The Chancellor and Defense Minister really should be available around the clock – but who else actually has to? When I think this, perhaps it is more a matter of a sense of self-importance than a business necessity.

You will be in charge of personnel development at the Würth Group's industrial customer subsidiary. Is news in your free time taboo in your company culture?

For us, healthy leadership is part of our management training. We want our employees to be able to relax on vacation and not be burdened with work issues even after work. Our managers should consult with their team. Such topics should generally be anchored more firmly in the training of managers.

Do the same rules apply to all hierarchy levels?

There are certainly individual differences. But my perception is that even at higher levels, managers don't want to be active all the time, but rather in certain phases, perhaps for particularly urgent matters, but not continuously. And that is also accepted.

Are company-agreed exceptions for employees without management responsibility, which certainly exist, even allowed?

We have a clear ban on working on Sundays and public holidays, with exceptions only under very specific conditions. The Working Hours Act stipulates that you are not allowed to work more than ten hours a day and then have an eleven-hour rest break. Anyone who works on something late in the evening and continues working early the next morning or who has already worked for ten hours beforehand is violating the law. The employer must not expect that his employees can be reached around the clock.

Christina Lohner spoke to Alexander Häfner