It's evening and you answer your professional emails between two household chores? You are probably affected by the blurring! This social phenomenon, which affects more and more employees and freelancers, worries health professionals. Why ? How to cure it ? Here are our answers.
What is blurring?
“Blurring” comes from the English “to blur” which means “to blur, to erase”. The phenomenon of blurring refers to the blurring of the boundary between private life and professional life. Work invites itself into the personal sphere of the employee or freelancer:on public transport, at home, on weekends, and even on vacation. A phenomenon due to the arrival of new technologies in companies (internet, applications, etc.) and which has tended to increase for several years. Thus, nearly 8 out of ten European employees are solicited by their work outside office hours. Conversely, they are just as likely to have to solve personal problems during working hours. In 2016, 37% of working people said they used professional digital tools at home or elsewhere.
Did you know?
Many studies, including that of the American researcher Alex Soojung Kim Pang, have proven that to be 100% effective, you should work 4 hours a day. Charles Darwin, for example, worked intensely for three 90-minute sessions every day. These shortened working days would thus make it possible to gain in productivity and well-being!
What consequences for health?
Smartphones, tablets, laptops… These little gadgets have revolutionized the way we work and allow us to work remotely. While some see this as an opportunity for flexibility and growth within the company, the reality is that this over-solicitation leads to a drop in the quality of work and performance. By dint of wanting to be at the top from morning to evening, we get exhausted and the ability to concentrate is reduced. Other insidious consequences of the blurring phenomenon:
• Mental fatigue;
• Chronic stress;
• Brain overload;
• The development of competition between colleagues (it is up to the one who will be the most efficient and the most available);
• The guilt of not being present enough vis-à-vis those close to them;
• Anxiety;
• Sleep disturbances leading to medication.
All these pathologies can even lead to the famous “burn-out”, a syndrome of physical and psychological exhaustion, often a precursor to depression.
How to remedy blurring:our advice
To avoid ending up in zombie mode and fully enjoy your life outside the office, you have to limit the risks.
First step:take stock of the situation
Get a notebook and a pen and write down all your work-related activities over a week. Write down everything:the quick email sent to Thérèse the secretary before your pilates session, the phone call from Mathieu who almost caused the lasagna to burn... Determine how many evenings or free time you have devoted to tidy tasks professional. Do the accounts. You will see if you suffer from blurring.
Second step:switch to “off” mode
Yes, even if the boss doesn't like it. Remove email and sms notifications. And for the more adventurous, dare to turn off the phone. Play it down, in France there is a “right to disconnect”, a principle according to which an employee has the right not to be connected to professional digital tools outside working hours. No boss can therefore punish his employee if he was unavailable in the evening, on weekends, during RTT, etc.
Third step:discipline yourself a little
Just because you don't respond to one or two emails during the evening doesn't mean the company is going to declare bankruptcy. Very often, this hyper-connection is also due to a desire to do one's job well, to be as efficient as possible, to prove something. Never mind, you have to work on yourself to let go and convince yourself that working 24 hours a day will not help you to be qualitative. So, do something else:go out to dinner with friends, relax with a bath, watch your favorite TV series. In short:think about something other than your job.
Fourth step:get help
If the need to connect is too strong, it may be a sign of a real addiction. In this case, you can get help from a psychologist, a coach, talk to the CHSCT or occupational medicine.
An association to help you
Blurring can lead to burnout or any other form of burnout. Do you feel concerned? The France Burn Out Association (AFBO) defends your rights and interests. Do not hesitate to contact her for help.
Often underestimated, blurring can cause a lot of damage to your health. So, we pamper ourselves and we cut off all professional solicitations once the day is over. Your body will thank you!
