IDEWE study: 1 in 10 employees feels obliged to remain available outside working hours

The figures not only point to an overall positive trend. In the education sector, the share of employees experiencing availability pressure has fallen sharply, from 20% in 2022 to 10% today. Office environments have also seen a notable decline, from 10% to 4%. Most other sectors show either stable figures or a slight decrease, including construction, healthcare, industry, logistics, government services and cleaning services.

More engaged, more motivated and better equipped for the long term

Legislation has played a major role in making the right to disconnect a widely recognised concept and encouraging many organisations to develop formal policies around it. However, Rosanne Volckaert, Prevention Advisor for Psychosocial Aspects at IDEWE, believes the real difference is made at team level. “Having a policy on disconnecting is important, but it only becomes meaningful when colleagues and managers make clear, practical agreements: when should someone be available, through which channel, and what can wait? That clarity helps employees truly switch off after working hours, without feeling they still need to remain available.”

“Employees who have enough opportunity to rest and recharge during their holidays generally experience higher energy levels, a better work-life balance and greater control over their time and attention. But that is only possible when they can also mentally disconnect from work, rather than constantly having to keep up with emails, messages or phone calls. Employers benefit from this as well: the ability to disconnect helps make employees more engaged, motivated and sustainably employable.”

With the summer holidays approaching, this is the ideal time to disconnect and recover. That is why IDEWE is sharing practical tips for employers and employees:  

Employer

• Set expectations before the suitcases are packed
  Discuss in advance when contact during holidays is appropriate and when it is not. Clear agreements help prevent frustration and misunderstandings.
• Let your employees go on holiday, not the knowledge
  Make sure important information is not held by just one person. Proper handovers and accessible documentation make it easier for employees to truly disconnect from work.
• Not everything is worth interrupting a holiday for
  Agree on what is genuinely urgent and what can safely wait until after the holiday. This helps prevent employees from feeling the need to remain unnecessarily available.
• Inform customers and partners as well
  Communicate holiday periods to customers and other external contacts well in advance. Manage expectations and ensure adequate back-up arrangements so employees do not have to step in during their leave.
• Lead by example
  Managers set the tone. Those who disconnect themselves and respect their colleagues’ holiday periods make it easier for others to do the same.

Employee

• Let your notifications take a holiday too
  Turn off notifications from email, WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams and other work-related applications. This will help you create greater mental distance from work.
• Respect each other’s time off
  Respect your colleagues’ holiday periods and only contact them when it is truly necessary. Not disturbing colleagues should be the norm, not the exception.
• Pay attention to your Out of Office message
  Does your internal Out of Office message say, “Feel free to call me if anything comes up”? If so, people will call. Make it clear when you are away and who can be contacted in your absence.

^{* The data are based on the results of IDEWE’s employee surveys conducted as part of its psychosocial well-being assessments (RAPSi – Psychosocial Risk Analysis), carried out among 168,732 respondents between 2022 and 2025.}