No work E-mail for workers on vacation
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The reading
It is becoming more and more difficult for workers to switch off from work. Many workers answer or write e-mails on the train to and from work, during lunchtime and at home after work. A lot of people even check their work e-mail when they go on vacation to other countries. This might be changing. The German carmaker Daimler is giving its workers the choice to not receive e-mail when they are on holiday. This will mean employees will be able to relax on the beach instead of dealing with problems in their inbox. Daimler employees can choose to auto-delete all work e-mail while on vacation. Daimler says it wants workers to enjoy family time or "me time" while on vacation.
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Daimler spokesman Oliver Wihofszki told reporters that staff would work better if they returned from holiday feeling refreshed. He said staff should return to work feeling refreshed and motivated. A human resources officer said: "Our employees should relax on holiday and not read work-related emails." Daimler's system is called 'Mail on Holiday'. The sender gets a reply that says: "I'm using 'Mail on Holiday'…your e-mails will be deleted….If you want me to read this e-mail personally, please be kind enough to send me the information [next week]." Not everyone thinks the system is a good idea. Customers may not like receiving a mail telling them to write again later and companies could lose business.
Sources:
- http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/daimler-and-disappearing-emails
- http://www.techrepublic.com/article/the-digital-fightback-the-struggle-to-stop-work-taking-over-our-lives/
- http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/08/daimlers-german-employees-can-set-emails-to-auto-delete-during-vacation/376068/
