German carmaker Volkswagen has agreed to stop sending emails through BlackBerry to its employees in their non-working hours.
This announcement came after an agreement with its labour representatives and staff. Henceforth, employees will receive emails half an hour before the beginning of their shift and will stop receiving them 30 minutes after their shift, according to spokesman for Volkswagen.
This decision was arrived upon following complaints from employees about blurring the lines between work and home life. This arrangement will, however, be applicable only to the German employees of the company.
The spokesperson told the BBC they confirm that this agreement between VW and the company’s work council exists.
But, board level executives will continue to receive emails via their BlackBerries.
Totally, 1,154 non-managerial employees of Volkswagen will be affected by the agreement, according to the Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung, a German broadsheet.
The newspaper added that the idea is to keep employees from feeling chained to their smartphones, and to send a message to bosses that it’s not reasonable to expect employees to be reachable at night.
