NorthStar Level 4 Video Script

Unit 8: Computers
Disconnecting from Work

Background
How often do you check your smartphone? This news video segment answers in a brief look at how
technology is affecting our lives. The segment reports on new laws that ban employers from sending work
emails to employees after hours. There are references to some statistics on how long Americans spend on
their smartphones each day. You might want students to interview each other and compile statistics of their
own.

Vocabulary for Comprehension

Preview the vocabulary with your students.

personal time policy switch off regulations

Video Script

Viewing Time: 1:55 minutes

Presenter: How often do you check your phone or email?
Research shows that the average American spends over five hours on their mobile phone each day. And
check it once every ten minutes. That’s a lot!
Our smartphones, that we are all attached to, have made it increasingly easy to bring work home too
and take over our personal time.
A study in 2020 of over three million workers in North America, Europe and the Middle East found the
number of emails had increased since the Covid pandemic, and the average working day gone up by
48.5 minutes.
Italy, Portugal, Spain and France all have something in common. They all have laws that ban employers
from sending work emails to employees after hours. France was the first country/first country in Europe
to introduce the ‘right to disconnect’ policy in 2017, with other European countries following. The French
currently work 35 hours a week and take five weeks’ vacation.
In an increasingly work-focused world, it can feel hard to switch off. But in these countries, employees
can leave their work stress in the office. These rules are there to help protect the work-life balance!
The state of Ontario in Canada is one of the latest places to have some new rules… But, will the 'right to
dis-connect' actually change anything? No such regulations exist in the US yet.
Finding a good work-life balance is essential for our physical and mental health. And could be the key for
a happier and more productive workforce in the future.
So, the thought of turning off emails’ sounds like a good idea, but would it work?
What country could be next?

NorthStar Level 4 Unit 8 Video Script | © 2023 by Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.