An IT company in the city of Indore, central India has created an unusual way to ensure its employees keep a healthy work-life balance. The company has created some software to remind them when their working day is finished and it’s time for them to go home.

SoftGrid Computers’ software is equipped with a notification system that kicks in as soon as an employee’s shift is finished, warning them that “the office system will shut down in ten minutes” and asking them to “please go home”.

This measure comes after an increased focus on and research into the adverse effects of long working hours on the health and relationships of employees all over the world. The World Health Organisation, for example, warned in 2021 that working 55 or more hours a week can lead to a 35% higher risk of stroke, and a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease.

The thinking behind this is to provide employees with a good work-life balance for them to spend more time with their loved ones.

The pop-up created a social media buzz recently when an employee, Tanvi Khandelwal, shared a picture of the warning on a company desktop.

“They put this special reminder, which locks my desktop after business hours and issues a warning,” Khandelwal shared on LinkedIn and the post has since received nearly 400,000 likes. “No more calls and mails outside of business hours! Isn’t this fantastic?”

Kritika Dubey, one of the 40 employees at SoftGrid Computers said the pop-up helped her leave on time and fulfil other responsibilities at home.