MODALITIES OF CONNECTING AND DISCONNECTING. It is in the interest of employers and workers to adapt work organisation, where needed, to the ongoing transformation of work deriving from the use of digital work devices. Achieving clarity on the legitimate expectations that can be placed on workers when using such devices can be supported by collective bargaining at the appropriate levels in the Member States. The presence and/or introduction of digital devices/tools in workplaces can provide many new opportunities and possibilities to organise work in a flexible way to the benefit of employers and workers. At the same time, this may create risks and challenges around the delineation of work and of personal time both during and beyond working time. It is the employer’s duty to ensure the safety and health of workers in every aspect related to the work. To avoid possible negative effects on workers’ health and safety and on the functioning of the enterprise, the focus should be on prevention. This refers to a culture where employers and workers actively participate in securing a safe and healthy working environment through a system of defined rights, responsibilities and duties, and where the principle of prevention is accorded the highest priority. Measures to be considered include: • Training and awareness raising measures; • Respect of working time rules and teleworking and mobile work rules; • Appropriate measures to ensure compliance; • Providing guidance and information for employers and workers on how to respect working time rules and teleworking and mobile work rules including on how to use digital tools, e.g. emails, including the risks of being overly connected particularly for health and safety; • Being clear about the policies and/or the agreed rules on the use of digital tools for private purposes during working time; • Commitment from management to create a culture that avoids out of hours contact; • Work organisation and workload, including the number of staff, are key aspects which need to be identified and evaluated jointly; • Achievement of organisational objectives should not require out of hours connection. With full respect for working time legislation and working time provisions in collective agreements and contractual arrangements, for any additional out of hours contacting of workers by employers, the worker is not obliged to be contactable; • And in respect of the bullet point above, appropriate compensation for any extra time worked, and; • Alert and support procedures in a ...
