Germany looks to decrease mental stress for employees, consider banning work emails after 6pm

Germany is considering banning the sending of emails to colleagues after 6pm, following a research which suggests that it adds an extra five hours to the average office worker’s day.

The research – commissioned by Germany’s Labour minister, Andrea Nahles – also found a relationship between workers having constant access to their emails and poor mental health.

The new legislation could come into force in 2016, which would make Germany the first country in the world to pass such a law, although France passed a similar legislation this year which required workers to turn off their smartphones after 6pm.