SwitchOff: supporting worker's wellbeing during remote work

The SwitchOff project helped companies, VET trainers & remote workers address 'permanent connectivity' by promoting a culture where workers can disconnect from work. It aimed to assist companies in adjusting policies & practices, with managers supporting workers' right to disconnect and encouraging recovery from work. In-company VET trainers were educated on the risks of staying connected & how to use digital technologies effectively to help workers disconnect through the Training Programme for HR Professionals & Managers (NEED 1). The SwitchOff Toolkit empowered remote workers to disconnect during non-working hours, improving their recovery process at the end of the day (NEED 2). It also helped HR professionals & managers implement policies that support workers' right to disconnect. Additionally, the project offered recommendations for new legal & organizational policies on the right to disconnect at governmental and EU levels (NEED 3), encouraging further action to secure workers' right to disconnect. All target groups had access to a multilingual eLearning platform, which included a self-evaluation tool for remote workers to assess their difficulty in disconnecting & received tips on psychological detachment from work.

The SwitchOff project focused on assisting remote workers & managers on how to effectively use ICTs & disconnect from work, during non-work hours. Partners created a set of activities, including Toolkit, training programme, eLearning platform (with a self-evaluation tool) with rich material & practices on how to best recover from work. It supported all the selected priorities (P) to achieve general OBJs through which: -Raised awareness of managers, HR professionals & remote workers on the importance of facilitating recovery from work & switch off (P2). -Enhanced remote workers & managers’ ability to disconnect from work during non-work hours by providing them with the appropriate knowledge, tools & resources (P1-3) -Using elaborated OERs prevented remote workers from feeling ‘used-up’ at the end of their working day & reduced outcomes relating to insufficient recovery (e.g. burnout) (P1-3). -Raised capacity of HR practitioners & managers to implement policies, practices & procedures & support their worker’s right to refrain from engaging in work-related activities, during non-work hours (P1-3). -Innovative quality learning material for HR practitioners & managers were developed to support remote worker’s recovery process (1-3).