When hyperconnectivity quietly becomes the norm
Hyperconnectivity has quietly crept into our professional lives. It's no longer just "a few emails in the evening." It's become a reflexive way of working: Slack notifications after 2 a.m., Teams messages on the weekend "to prepare for Monday," quickly checking your smartphone during a family dinner.
The story of Claire, a manager in a small tech company, reflects the reality of thousands of employees. Messages before 8 a.m., "urgent" alerts after 6 p.m., files to finalize between personal appointments... The line between work time and rest time is blurring. And with it, the ability to recover.
Studies are conclusive:
- 62% of employees check their work emails outside of working hours (source: ANACT).
- 37% feel obliged to respond quickly even outside working hours (Dares 2024).
- 54% report increased mental fatigue related to digital technology (OPEQVT Barometer).
For HR and QVCT managers, the challenge is twofold: preventing psychosocial risks and maintaining sustainable performance. Since the 2016 Labor Law, companies have been required to regulate digital usage. But it is primarily internal practices, managerial culture, and everyday behaviors that determine whether employees can truly disconnect.
This article offers a comprehensive, operational, and actionable approach to creating an effective disconnection policy that is aligned with QVCT, legal obligations, and the real needs of teams.
Why can't employees disconnect anymore?
Hyperconnection, implicit norms, and digital mental load: an HR analysis
Hyperconnectivity is never just an individual problem. It is an organizational construct, influenced by three major factors: digital tools, implicit expectations, and managerial practices.
Responsiveness has become an unspoken standard.
In many companies, responding quickly is seen as a sign of commitment.
Even if nothing is said, everything is shown:
- a manager who sends an email at 10 p.m.,
- a colleague praised for his "availability,"
- late-night chats on WhatsApp Pro,
- files requested "for tomorrow" at 6:30 p.m.
These signals create an invisible norm: "I must be reachable."
Teleworking further blurs the lines
Without a physical break, the mind remains focused on work for longer. Many people check their messages "so they don't have too much to do tomorrow." This seemingly innocuous gesture maintains digital mental load: a brain that is constantly on standby, even when not looking at a screen.
The consequences?
- disturbed sleep,
- irritability,
- difficulty concentrating,
- constant sense of urgency,
- cognitive fatigue.
Implicit injunctions carry more weight than explicit instructions.
A manager may say, "You don't have to respond in the evening." But if they consistently respond to late messages, they create a norm.
This is where the lack of an HR framework leads to problems: everyone interprets things according to their own anxiety, personality, and relationship with authority. The most stressed individuals unwittingly impose a pace on the whole team.
What the law says about the right to disconnect
Since the 2016 Labor Law, employers must:
- ensure compliance with rest periods and vacation time
- define rules for the use of digital tools
- negotiate disconnection as part of the annual mandatory negotiations
- incorporate disconnection procedures into the BDESE
- prevent risks associated with hyperconnectivity in the DUERP
The absence of rules exposes the company:
- psychosocial risks,
- labor disputes,
- employer liability,
- deterioration of the social climate.
The disconnection charter: a strategic lever for HR & QVCT
Much more than a legal obligation: a tool for sustainable performance
The power of a well-designed disconnection policy is often underestimated.
An effective charter allows you to:
- clarify expectations,
- reassure employees,
- reduce implicit pressure,
- normalize protective behaviors,
- change the management culture,
- preventing psychosocial risks related to digital technology,
- strengthen the employer brand (yes, really).
Those that define simple rules that are co-constructed, embodied, and followed.
How to develop a robust and effective disconnection policy?
This is the most robust HR & QVCT method.
1. Diagnose actual digital practices
You can analyze:
- email sending times,
- frequency of late requests,
- interruptions,
- weekend communications,
- differences between teams.
The diagnosis should also include an anonymous questionnaire. Examples of revealing questions:
- Do you receive messages outside of your working hours?
- Do you feel obligated to remain reachable?
- Does hyperconnectivity impact your sleep or your personal relationships?
- Do you feel that your manager expects you to be responsive outside of working hours?
These data objectify reality and create a legitimate starting point.
2. Co-create the charter with teams, not just HR
This is the best way to ensure buy-in.
Internal workshops enable the identification of:
- "hot spots" (e.g., a manager who sends emails at midnight),
- bad habits inherited,
- misunderstandings about the concept of "emergency,"
- areas of customer friction (e.g., after-sales service, sales teams).
Co-construction transforms the charter into a collective commitment (rather than an imposed rule).
3. Draft simple, concrete, and enforceable rules
Effective charters do not seek to regulate everything. They provide a clear and realistic framework.
Examples of impactful rules:
- messages after 8 p.m. → use delayed sending only,
- no work-related requests during vacations,
- define what constitutes a "real emergency,"
- end-of-day rituals (review, information sharing),
- single channel for emergencies (avoids dispersion).
Management tip: systematically remind employees that "if I send you this message outside of working hours, it's not an emergency." This reduces mental load by 30% in some teams.
4. Provide for controlled and transparent exceptions
On-call duties and emergency response roles require a clear framework.
The charter must define:
- what a real emergency is,
- contact details,
- the persons concerned,
- the maximum acceptable frequency,
- compensation.
5. Roll out the charter and train managers (core of the subject)
This is the most critical step: a charter is useless if managers do not support it.
They must be trained in:
- digital mental load,
- non-implicit communication,
- the subtle signs of hyperconnectivity,
- exemplary posture.
A manager who turns off notifications → positive sign.
A manager who sends a message at 10 p.m. → destroys the norm.
6. Manage the charter over time
Disconnection can be measured.
Useful indicators:
- decrease in messages outside of business hours,
- improvement in QOL scores,
- decrease in digital presenteeism,
- employee feedback on their ability to recover,
- decrease in conflicts related to availability.
A charter without oversight = a dead charter. A charter that is followed = a powerful cultural lever.
Mini-test: "Is your organization hyperconnected?"
Your company is in the red zone if:
✔ more than 20% of messages are sent outside working hours
✔ managers send messages in the evening or at weekends
✔ employees check their messages while on vacation
✔ employees say "I never have time to really switch off"
✔ digital tools are perceived as intrusive
✔ teams working from home report difficulties in disconnecting
4. Case study: How one company reduced hyperconnectivity by 42% in 9 months
A company with 500 employees observed an increase in late notifications, widespread fatigue, and growing irritability.
The diagnosis showed:
- managers convinced they are "laying the groundwork"
- employees who feel obligated to respond
- diffuse pressure among coworkers
After 9 months:
- -42% fewer requests outside of business hours,
- better recovery,
- more peaceful social climate,
- more effective meetings,
- strengthened employer brand,
- reduced turnover.
The charter did not just regulate digital practices: it transformed the management culture.
5. Why act now? HR, QWL, psychosocial risks, and employer brand challenges
Not taking action means allowing hyperconnectivity to take hold. But it feeds:
- cognitive overload,
- mental fatigue,
- irritability,
- disengagement,
- professional errors,
- psychosocial risks,
- increase in absenteeism.
Taking action helps protect mental health, improve the quality of work, and reduce psychosocial risks. It also aims to enhance attractiveness, retain talent, and promote a healthy culture.
For HR and QVCT teams, the disconnection charter is a strategic tool for aligning culture, performance, and well-being.
Checklist – What a good disconnection policy should include
✔ Non-solicitation ranges
8 p.m.–7 a.m., for example (to be adapted according to profession)
✔ Rules for using digital tools
Emails, Teams, WhatsApp, Slack, CRM, etc.
✔ Clear definition of urgency
Rare, focused, documented.
✔ Expected managerial attitude
Delayed dispatch, transparent, exemplary.
✔ Rules for remote working
To avoid continuous repetition without pause.
✔ Leave management
No solicitation except in defined exceptional cases.
✔ Annual monitoring and updating
HR indicators + employee feedback.
Disconnection, a fundamental commitment to the collective
Disconnecting is not a modern luxury. It is a prerequisite for mental health, efficiency, and sustainable performance.
Claire's story shows that a clear framework changes everything: less stress, better recovery, more effective meetings, and a calmer social climate.
For HR, QVCT, and CSR managers, the disconnection charter is a strategic tool: it protects employees, structures digital usage, and strengthens managerial culture.
With a structured, co-constructed, embodied, and guided approach, it becomes a real lever for social excellence.
