Next time you find yourself working after hours or checking your work emails during family time, console yourself with the knowledge that you are not alone. 

An online survey of more than 500 union members suggests that 95 per cent check their work emails during the weekend, 82 per cent do so during family time or while on holiday and just three per cent do not work after hours.

The 'right to disconnect' survey was held between January and February as part of FORUM Youth Section's creation of a policy document reflecting workers' needs in the digital era. Information was collected through an online questionnaire and 526 people participated. 

READ: Should workers have the right to disconnect?

The 'right to disconnect' first came to the general public's attention last year, following a French decision to introduce a law aimed at stopping work from creeping into employees' private time.

As of January 1, French companies with more than 50 employees must negotiate parameters for workers to view or respond to work emails outside of office hours, giving rise to what has been termed 'the right to disconnect'.

FORUM wants a similar law for Maltese workers, with organisations obliged to set a working hour limit and ensure that their workers are not forced to respond to emails after these hours.

The survey results confirmed that it has become a norm "to expect people to respond to emails even after working hours," said FORUM Youth Section chairman Graham Sansone.

FORUM leaders presenting the survey results.