Volkswagen has blocked its e-mail servers from delivering messages to more than 1,000 Blackberry smartphones after work hours, a move that could have ramifications that go far beyond the auto industry.
The automaker and its works council came to the agreement that the e-mail function will be turned off half an hour after flex-time work hours. In the morning, the e-mail function will be reactivated about half an hour prior to flex-time work hours. The Blackberrys will still be able to make and receive phone calls, which means that workers will still be available for emergencies.
VW agreed to deactivate the phones after some studies in Germany suggested that mobile phone “burnout” is responsible for as many as 10 million sick days for workers in the European country.
The Wolfsburger Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper says that the move applies to about 1,154 employees at six assembly plants in Germany.
VW works council member Heinz-Joachim Thust told the paper that reaction has been “very positive” among workers.
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1.’VW gives workers…’ view
