Telecommuting has blurred the boundaries between private and professional life. This is even reflected in certain technological tools, such as the shared calendar… where colleagues can suddenly have access to details of each other’s personal lives.
It happened to Sylvie* this spring. She is part of a team that divides the tasks of the same project, in a Montreal management company. The shared calendar is not only practical, it is essential.
“This tool is how we plan our deadlines and meetings,” she says. For planning and organization, it makes things a lot easier. »
Sylvie had a bit of a professional storm recently, when co-workers noticed that she had gone “away” on a Wednesday afternoon…to go see her daughter’s dance performance.
“My schedule is flexible and I have an agreement with my boss,” she says. I wanted to be transparent in stating why I wasn’t there… It caused me more trouble than anything else! »
A medical follow-up, an appointment with a lawyer, a visit to a condo or an accompaniment to a school activity… Should everything be indicated in the famous collective calendar?
It may be tempting, but it is not desirable, believes Ariane Ollier-Malaterre, professor of management at the University of Quebec in Montreal and founding member of the international team Technology, Work and Family.
“Unlike the conversation around the coffee machine, in which we may choose to talk about our personal life to colleagues, the details of our private life put into a shared calendar are not put in context, they are not adapted “says Ms. Ollier-Malaterre.
“You can be transparent without disclosing everything about your private life,” comments Diane-Gabrielle Tremblay, professor at TÉLUQ University and specialist in human resources management, economics and sociology of work. And even if the employer has a right of management, he must trust… It is better to manage by objectives and results, and not by control and monitoring. That’s the old way! »
She indicates that people in telework take less leave. “We see it in some circles,” she says, “some workers prefer to receive cash for sick days that aren’t taken. »
And so, medical appointments, at the dentist or at a specialist for his child, for example, appear in the shared calendar, seen by all.
Is that bad ? It shouldn’t, says Caroline Biron, professor and director of the Center of Expertise in Occupational Health and Safety Management at Laval University. She sees this as an issue of benevolence: for example, if an employee takes an afternoon to attend her child’s dance performance, that her work is done according to the objectives and expectations of the company, and that she has a flextime agreement, why would that bother?
“Why don’t we brag about taking that time, basically?” One shouldn’t be embarrassed to take a day for one’s sanity! »
In a society where productivity and performance are glorified, a schedule peppered with time for yourself or for others can raise eyebrows. This is what Sylvie experienced: her absence caused some colleagues to react and cry foul…
“Others then teased me, but let’s say it was mostly to express their discomfort and maybe some jealousy,” says the 40-year-old.
Vaguely indicating the reason for his absence, by abbreviating or putting an evasive keyword, is a good way to avoid revealing his private life unintentionally. “For more caution, some people use a paper diary to write down everything related to their professional life,” says Professor Ariane Ollier-Malaterre.
For Tania Saba, full professor at the School of Industrial Relations at the University of Montreal and holder of the BMO Chair in Diversity and Governance, technologies should serve workers better – and not the other way around.
“Instead of looking only at the speed, efficiency and accessibility of the technologies deployed, we must worry about respecting the rights of people in the interests of equity and inclusion. Ideally, one would analyze the effects of technologies before they are deployed, not after…”