During a typical workday people engage in a variety of activities such as arranging meetings, checking emails and so on. Such activities require mental effort and prolonged engagement in such activities can lead to psychological and physiological reactions consequently generating strain and fatigue. A key element of replenishing vital mental energy is “psychological detachment”.This refers to the act of mentally switching off from work during non-working hours, and requires the absence of all work-related thoughts and activities. Workplace digitalisation poses serious threats to remote workers’ ability to psychologically detach and recover from work as the use of ICTs blurs work and non-work boundaries. Thus, actions need to be taken to help remote workers disconnect from work while developing their skills on how to use digital technologies effectively to make it easier for them to disconnect from work.
The SwitchOff project aims at helping managers and VET trainers acquire the appropriate competencies and knowledge on how to facilitate recovery in the workplace and help remote workers disconnect from work and restore their personal resources (emotional, cognitive, physical) at the end of their working day. The SwitchOff project focuses on assisting remote workers and managers on how to effectively use ICTs and disconnect from work, during non-work hours.
The SwitchOff project focuses on assisting remote workers and managers on how to effectively use ICTs and disconnect from work, during non-work hours. Partners will create a set of activities, including a Toolkit, training programme, an e-learning platform (including a self-evaluation tool) with rich material and practices on how to best recover from work. These will support all the selected priorities since the general objectives are to:
Raise awareness of managers, HR professionals, and remote workers on the importance of facilitating recovery from work and disconnecting.
- Enhance remote workers and managers’ ability to disconnect from work during non-work hours by providing them with the appropriate knowledge, tools and resources.
- Prevent remote workers from feeling ‘used-up’ at the end of their working day and reduce outcomes relating to insufficient recovery (e.g.burnout) by using OERs.
- Build capacity of HR practitioners and managers to implement policies, practices and procedures and support their worker’s right to refrain from engaging in work-related activities, during non-work hours.
- Develop innovative quality learning material for HR practitioners and managers to support remote worker’s recovery process.
As material results, the SwitchOff project will develop a toolkit addressing the effective use of digital technologies and other practices for fostering employees’ ability to disconnect from work during non-working hours. Also, it will develop a Training Programme for HR Professionals and managers and an e-Learning platform focusing on best practices, policies, and procedures through which managers and HR professionals can support their worker’s effort to disconnect from work at the end of their working day.
Check our Toolkit here: https://switchoffthework.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/WP2_SwitchOff-Toolkit_241123_sk.pdf
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