This text is part of the special Business Tourism section
While it can be difficult to fully disconnect from work while on vacation, finding balance between personal and professional life during a hybrid working holiday is perhaps even more so. Experts are concerned, arguing that hyperconnected behaviors risk creating a new norm.
When we talk to him about “tratacances”, “travacances”, “travacances”, bleisure », “digital nomads” and other fashionable names to designate working holidays in hybrid mode, Luc Lapointe gets carried away. It must be said that this human resources consultant, who runs his company called Scientifyx, makes his money with recommendations based on evidence. “However, there is nothing conclusive on this subject, quite simply because we are mixing everything up and we don’t know what we are talking about. Working holidays in hybrid mode, whatever the label, it is a concept essentially created by “marketers” of tourist stay packages. »
And indeed, what exactly is a work-holiday stay? It could be a matter of going to Paris to work for a month to enjoy it a little. Or conversely, extend a leisure stay to catch emails from time to time and, perhaps, give half a day of work. “Vacationers and travelers who combine business with pleasure are nothing new,” the entrepreneur emphasizes with irritation.
It does not matter to him, therefore, that such a study or such a review estimates the proportion of stays made in hybrid mode at 6%, 8% or 12%, and speaks of it as an emerging phenomenon. “What is new is the problem of hyperconnectivity at work. I have read 1500 studies on this and, on this specific point, the data is conclusive. It’s redefining all social norms. The issue is there,” he maintains.
The social norm is you
It’s difficult, in fact, to take a vacation without feeling guilty these days. “It doesn’t matter what we should indicate as an away message. If you announce “I went on vacation” and you respond immediately, you change the social norm,” observes Ariane Ollier Malaterre, professor in the Department of Organization and Human Resources at UQAM, who explores the new boundaries between professional life and personal life. “If everyone responds while on vacation, vacation no longer exists. »
The two specialists agree on the fact that the level of what constitutes hyperconnectivity depends on each person: “Some people hate being disturbed,” explains Mr. Lapointe. Others are more or less okay with it. And some are so anxious about not being in the game that they are unable to give up. »
The benefit depends on the person and their type of job, says Mme Ollier Malaterre. “It can even be pleasant for individuals comfortable with integration, single, without children, or whose work does not require interaction with colleagues. Otherwise, you risk conflicts, which can quickly become very disruptive. »
According to Luc Lapointe, technology is causing us to experience a revolution in the world of work. “The norms change and they are not yet established,” he says, “but it is certain that, if we respond because we feel obliged to do so, we find ourselves giving the other the right to ask us again. We are creating an escalation and a new norm. »
Ariane Ollier Malaterre judges that vacations are a personal expense that is expensive and that we would benefit from protecting. “Physiologically and psychologically, the ideal time depends on the individual, the location and their level of fatigue. But, in North America, we tend to favor short and generally insufficient vacations. »
Optimize communication
Mr. Lapointe believes that, in the context where the social norm is being redefined, organizations must absolutely make the effort to delineate the objectives of connectivity and the means of communication.
The famous “right to disconnect” is a useful concept, but insufficient, judges Ariane Ollier Malaterre. This French idea, taken up elsewhere – Ontario has legislated on this in 2022, and Quebec plans to do so – is far from being a panacea. Certainly, it allows employees to feel freer not to respond. “But, in reality, it is not a miracle solution. Employers and supervisors who insist get the short end of the stick, and it’s difficult to say no to them without consequences. »
According to Luc Lapointe, the answer is relatively simple: optimize communication. Organizations simply need to establish a code of conduct, defining which communication tool to use for emergencies, which to use for “important but not urgent” matters, which for secondary matters, and what response time is acceptable for each.
“In the current situation, people feel obliged to follow their emails on vacation because there is no definition of what is urgent or not,” he explains. However, the less we drop out, the more we become intellectually exhausted. »
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