Bet you wish your computer came up with this message at the end of your shift
Have you ever had your boss tap you on the shoulder or send you a message just as you’re about to log off your computer at the end of the day?
They’ll ask if it might be possible for you to just finish off this one last thing before you head off home, even if it means eating into your free time at home – and pushing back the moment when you can finally sit down for your dinner.
In some industries, staying behind at work such a normal state of affairs that it isn’t questioned.
But one start-up in India is determined to make the distinction between work time and free time as clear cut as possible.
This is the pop-up message workers at Softgrid Computing see when their day in the office comes to an end:
‘WARNING!!!
‘Your shift time is over. The office system will shutdown in 10 mins. PLEASE GO HOME!!’
There is no room for subtlety at the IT firm, which is headquartered in the city of Indore.
Mohammad Ali Fanee, the head of management at Softgrid, said many employees were used to working late as they had previously been at companies where they needed permission to clock off.
He said: ‘We believe in work-life balance; we believe when you are happy with your family, you work pretty well.’
The 40 or so workers at the company have said they’re sleeping better and are more motivated since the unusual system came into effect.
Research suggests that they are probably healthier as well as happier thanks to the change.
In 2021, the World Health Organisation published a report saying strokes and ischemic heart disease resulting from long working hours were killing hundreds of thousands of people each year.
The specific figure for deaths from heart disease increased by 42% between 2000 and 2016.
Their study also showed those who work 55 hours a week have an estimated 35% higher risk of suffering a stroke, compared to people working 35-40 hours a week.
The issue was worsened by the ‘working from home’ culture established during the pandemic, the health body said, as bedrooms became offices and the line between the two became increasingly blurred.
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