Germany considers ban on employees checking their work e-mails from home

Labor Minister Andrea Nahles is contemplating introducing “anti-stress” regulations in Europe’s economic powerhouse.

She told the Rheinische Post newspaper that it is “indisputable that there is a connection between permanent availability and psychological diseases.” Government officials are collecting data as part of a push to draft a proposal for lawmakers next year.

Some German companies have already taken voluntary measures.

Volkswagen has capped after-work email for some employees who have been issued company-owned smartphones. For workers under wage agreements, the company’s email server is programmed to stop delivering messages between 6:15 p.m. and 7 a.m. the following morning. Weekends are also off-limits.