Avoid blurring

Telecommuting, hyperconnection: how can you avoid blurring?

7 a.m.: Over your bowl of coffee, you mechanically click on your work emails to check the latest messages received.

10:50: You take a short break to make a dental appointment for your son.

12h00 : Vous continuez de relire votre présentation PPT en mangeant votre salade.

4.15pm: You take a tour of LinkedIn and get lost on the Monceau langues blog.

9 p.m.: A text message from your boss! You reply immediately.

Does this day speak to you? You may be a victim of blurring.

Le blurring, c’est quoi ?

Blurring" is a term that is once again coming to the fore, particularly in the current context of widespread teleworking. But what exactly does it mean?

Some people are familiar with this make-up technique, which consists in concealing and making skin imperfections disappear. In management, it's also about camouflage: blurring refers to the blurring of the boundary between personal and professional life. Since we're talking about interference, we can translate it into French as "brouillage professionnel" (professional blurring).

On the surface, blurring has everything going for it. It's an excellent way of relieving the guilt of taking short breaks to deal with personal matters, or of absent-mindedly glancing at social networks or online shopping sites as we feel empowered. But it also requires our vigilance, as it can also mean postponing work tasks to evenings, weekends or vacations. Since we trust you...And this is where professional jamming can prove dangerous, as it no longer allows us to disconnect and recharge our batteries.

Along with working from home, part-time employees are among the most likely to fall into this "blurring" of life times, with a tendency not to establish clear boundaries or disconnect between days worked and not worked.

Un phénomène mondial… mais inégal

L’étude Workmonitor de Randstad décrit une situation commune à de nombreux pays : une majorité de salariés ressentent une pression de disponibilité permanente, même en dehors de leurs horaires de travail.
La France se situe dans la moyenne, mais de fortes disparités subsistent selon l’âge, le niveau d’études ou les conditions matérielles.

Si le télétravail reste très apprécié, il nécessite un équilibre qui n’est pas inné — un défi majeur que les entreprises devront continuer à accompagner. Certaines investissent par exemple dans des formations professionnelles, des formations à distance, ou encore dans l’accompagnement linguistique pour fluidifier les échanges internationaux sans surcharge mentale (comme nos formations d’anglais professionnel, coaching, ou ateliers thématiques adaptés aux collaborateurs).

Comment limiter les effets négatifs du blurring ?

Voici quelques pistes concrètes pour retrouver un équilibre sain :

☕ Set up rituals to mark the start and end of your working day
🗃 If possible, set up a space dedicated solely to your work
🔌 Allow yourself digital disconnection! And confirm with your managers that no immediate response is expected when an e-mail is sent at staggered hours.
📲 Limit your notifications to the essentials: business notifications during your working hours and personal notifications during your private time.