This text is part of the special World of Work section
In 2024, personal life is a greater priority than professional life for 60% of “talents”, reveals the most recent report Work monitor from the Randstad firm. Despite everything, the separation between these two spheres remains difficult for many workers, a phenomenon known in France as “ blurring ». Examining a growing trend.
If the expression blurring has not crossed the ocean, the phenomenon is nevertheless well known to researcher and professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) Julie Ménard. “We have long been interested in the erasure of boundaries between work and personal life, she explains. Many precipitating factors mean that we are experiencing it more and more. »
Read your emails in the evening after coming home, work on the weekend, stay connected to your text messages even on vacation…, the blurring can take various forms. “It’s everything that has to do with letting in information about our work when we’re not supposed to be working,” summarizes the professor. This state of permanent vigilance can end up costing us dearly, or even leading us to professional burnout.
This is because, depending on our job, we will use one or more systems: cognitive, physical or emotional. “For example, journalists have to think, think about the next question they are going to ask,” illustrates the researcher. This is true for the majority of office jobs. » Outside of working hours, it is essential to give this system a moment of rest to allow it to recharge. “If you use it too long or too often, the battery will discharge. To prevent this, you must stop using it and plug in the device. »
Asset to master
Be careful, however, not to demonize the phenomenon too much: a flexible schedule can also be beneficial for workers. “It can allow you to follow your biological rhythm,” notes occupational psychologist Jacinthe Ouellet. “For example, I naturally get up at 6 a.m. and sprint until noon. » She also cites the advantages for parents, who have the possibility of being “more present for their children”.
This flexibility at work can also meet the need for self-determination, an “important need that was less fulfilled,” explains Julie Ménard. Jacinthe Ouellet agrees. “It can be very motivating. It gives the employee a feeling of freedom. He feels that his employer trusts him. »
In short, greater flexibility at work allows certain workers to accomplish more things in as much time, believes the psychology researcher. “Some people manage their schedule better like that,” she says.
Draw your limits
To reap all the benefits of the blurring of boundaries between professional and private life – and avoid suffering its negative effects –, however, we must develop healthy lifestyle habits, consider the two specialists. Jacinthe Ouellet, who also works as coach certified at Humance, believes that we must be particularly wary of “fragmentation of attention”. “It’s like being a juggler with seven or eight balls, a bee foraging from one task to another. Our brain is not made for that and it creates wear and tear, fatigue, stress and can even lead to depression. »
She refers in particular to the book by psychiatry professor Sonia Lupien, Stress at work vs. work stress, published at the end of 2023. “A problem is the way we work,” explains the psychologist. I see it in my office: the people I meet have too many meetings, too many emails, only do surface work. They never have time to go deep and be creative. » She suggests blocking periods of several hours in a row on the calendar during which it will be possible to concentrate on a single task — and complete it. Jacinthe Ouellet agrees, however, that this approach requires solid discipline. “Some are able to cope better. They create routines and stick to them. »
Despite the scale of the phenomenon, there may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon. “In certain corporate cultures, it is increasingly frowned upon to send emails on the weekend,” notes the work psychologist. So much the better, because to offer their employees the opportunity for flexible work that does not encroach on their personal lives, employers also have their role to play.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.