Not on weekends

Ottawa, Feb. 2 (Reuters): It may be wishful thinking, but a Canadian government ministry has sent out a directive to its employees urging them to relax and not to use their BlackBerry smartphones at night or on weekends and holidays.

Trying to re-establish a proper balance between work and life, Citizenship and Immigration Canada is starting by trying to cut the chains to what some have called CrackBerries. The department’s deputy minister, Richard Fadden, sent out a memo asking employees to implement a BlackBerry “blackout” between 7 pm and 7 am and on weekends and holidays.

“Work/life quality is a priority for me and this organisation because achieving it benefits us both as individuals and as a department,” Fadden wrote.