On the leash.

Employees must never be considered personal assets of employers. Nor should they be deemed 24/7 slaves or robots. It's a common practice in our part of the world that employees are contacted even after office hours and called back for some missing information. They are tethered through digital communication even on weekends, holidays and vacations, without giving the slightest consideration to their mental and physical health. Clearly such an intrusion by the employers disrupts the employees' work-life balance.

It's becoming illegal in many countries to contact employees after office hours, with the exception of some work emergencies. According to the U.S. Department of Labour, a work emergency is an 'unforeseen situation that threatens employees, customers or the public; disrupts or shuts down your operations; or causes physical or environmental damage.' But here, employers with a sadistic mentality or colonial mindset deliberately keep employees on an electronic leash after office hours.

France, Germany and Portugal have formed laws barring businesses and departments from contacting employees after working hours. The freedom to disconnect from the office after work hours has been acknowledged as a fundamental human right. Employers who dare trespass the personal boundaries of employees will incur fines as per the laws enacted in those countries. In Germany, it is strictly prohibited to dismiss an employee if he fails in attending to his work phone after work time.

In countries like ours with colonial past, employers or bosses under the hubris of officiality or with the superman powers vested by departmental hierarchy, behave like Orwellian Big Brother, running their offices as their 'nanny states'. They forget the simple fact that employees under undue pressure and in a threatening atmosphere always underperform. They must pay heed to what John Stuart Mill says:

'A state which dwarfs its men in...