One in five workers across the European Union reports being contacted for work-related reasons outside their working hours several times a month. Applied to the EU workforce population at the end of 2024, this corresponds to approximately 39.4 million workers. Regular after-hours contact is a consequence of a long-term transformation of work culture that has occurred in parallel with the increasing digitalisation of work. The working day extends beyond the contractually agreed working hours for a significant number of workers, and some experience this so frequently that it’s like being on stand-by.