Tech Company Tells Workers Daily: 'Please Go Home'

A tech start-up in India is battling the culture of overwork by giving employees a daily reminder to go home when their working hours are over. Shortly before workers' shifts end at SoftGrid Computers, a message on their computers comes up saying, "Your shift time is over. The office system will shut down in 10 mins. PLEASE GO HOME!" Co-founder and CEO Shweta Shukla says that when the software was installed six months ago, "many employees thought it was a prank, or that someone had hacked into their computer," the BBC reports.

The company in the central India tech hub of Indore has around 40 employees. Recent hire Tanvi Khandelwal, a human resources specialist, says other tech firms encourage employees to work long hours and leaving on time can be frowned upon. "While I was surprised to see such a message on my computer system, I believe that a healthy work-life balance is very important," the 21-year-old tells NBC. "I am a social worker as well, and such work culture allows me to engage in those activities after my office hours.”

Shukla says the company wants employees to have a healthy work-life balance. Critics say the move could put pressure on workers to meet deadlines early, though Shukla says the message is a reminder, "not an ultimatum," and if employees want to spend more time on something they can restart their computers. In a recent case involving an employee suicide at a government agency, a Delhi High Court judge urged authorities to bring in policies to deal with "issues of overwork and occupational stress," the Indian Express reports. (More tech companies stories.)