Burn-out affects more and more French people. According to a 2021 study, nearly 1 in 10 workers are experiencing professional burnout. Faced with this alarming observation, new approaches are emerging to preserve the mental health of workers. One of them is “Reset Day”, a concept from Anglo-Saxon countries which is starting to spread in France. But what is it exactly?
Reset Day to combat work overload
The “Reset Day” designates the fact of take one day a month to reset your professional activity. Concretely, it involves suspending usual tasks to concentrate on files left aside. The objective is twofold:
- Breathe mentally while ignoring the hectic pace of everyday life.
- Catch up on important topics neglected due to lack of time.
During this day, meetings, emails and calls are prohibited. The employee warns his colleagues that he will be unreachable. This temporary exclusion allows him to process your files in depthwithout constant interruptions.
The benefits of Reset Day
This approach offers numerous advantages, both individual and collective:
- Better management of time and priorities.
- Reduction of stress linked to work overload.
- Improved productivity.
- Prevention of burnout.
- Taking a step back from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
The Reset Day also helps strengthen team cohesion. By explaining their needs, the employee empowers their colleagues. The latter must organize themselves to compensate for his temporary absence.
A practice that is still not widespread in France
Despite its virtues, the Reset Day remains little applied in French companies. Only 4% of employees questioned in a 2022 survey say they have already used it. The main obstacles are the fear of overloading colleagues and the lack of flexibility of managers.
Some experts also warn against the possible abuses of this practice:
- Isolation of the employee.
- Relationship difficulties.
- Team disorganization.
To take full advantage of the Reset Day, adequate supervision is therefore essential. Pioneering companies are still groping to find the right balance. But there is no doubt that this approach has a bright future ahead of it, given the immense needs in terms of quality of life at work. So, when is your first Reset Day?
My name is Michael. I am a journalist for this magazine where I analyze and break down current events in order to provide you with articles that will allow you to have as nuanced and fair an understanding of global issues as possible. Passionate about creating bridges between stories and people, I joined this site to practice interactive journalism, where each article is an open dialogue with the reader.
