Should We Stop Sending Emails After Working Hours?

People think it’s acceptable to send emails after working hours. Before emails, there were phone calls. Would it still be acceptable to call an employee who’s off sick, to talk to them about work? No, unless it’s a very urgent matter.

But emails are different, it’s very easy to shoot an email to anyone at any time. The problem is that most people think this is an acceptable thing to do, without considering the consequences. Of course, most don’t expect the recipient to take notice until they’re back at work.

To send, or not to send?

But the thing is, people always think that if someone sends them an email, then they’re obliged to reply it as soon as possible. The consequence? The recipient would feel that the sender is not being considerate.

"Can you send me the salary report? You can reply tomorrow, thanks."

What should we do? Personally, we can just simply pledge to stop sending emails after hours.

But as responsible employers, we should do more.

Email policies in Europe

• In 2012, Volkswagen decided that emails outside of working hours were harmful, and took action. So what did they do? They blocked their company’s Blackberry servers from sending emails 30 minutes after the end of employees’ shifts. Emails were set to resume 30 minutes before the next shift.

• Another German car manufacturer, Daimler went a step further. They built a programme that will delete emails sent to employees who are away from work. There’s no delaying emails or anything, they literally delete the emails. Of course, this is an optional service where the sender gets notified that their email has been deleted, so that’s nice.

• In 2017, France passed a law called “right to disconnect”. Companies have a duty to regulate the use of out-of-office emails. This is to ensure employees get a break from the office.

Should Malaysia be?

These policies are nice and all, but most employees still depend on their employer. It all just depends on whether or not your company decides to do something about this issue.

Should we campaign for a change in the law here in Malaysia? We do want people to be able to work flexible hours if they want. But if these 24/7 email practices continue, we might need to consider some good practice guidelines or legislation.

What kind of policy should your company implement? Do you think 24/7 email practice still has its place in certain industries?

Need to Fill in Many Vacancies, Fast? We'll solve your hiring in just 2 days. Contact us at [email protected] or call 03 2242 4822 for a free consultation. 

Related articles

How HR Should Handle Company's Mobile Phone Policy

Employees Say Workplace Apps are Disrupting Their Productivity