Technology | Volkswagen VW: We'll Deactivate Email When Staff Not Working Carmaker's new policy will affect German employees' BlackBerries By Dustin Lushing Posted Dec 24, 2011 5:59 AM CST Copied FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2010 file photo, a Research In Motion Blackberry is displayed at Best Buy in Mountain View, Calif. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File) Some workers in Germany will no longer have to worry about getting an email from the boss during dinner. Volkswagen has agreed to loosen the digital shackles by shutting down email service on their employees' BlackBerries during non-work hours, kissing the typical 24-hour accessibility goodbye. Europe's largest car manufacturer set the new—and very rare—policy as part of an agreement with labor reps, reports Reuters. Emails will now hit workers' inboxes 30 minutes before their shift begins, and will be cut off 30 minutes after it ends. The new rules only benefit employees covered under collective bargaining—1,154 workers at Volkswagen's six German plants—so executives will likely have to remain connected to their CrackBerries 24/7. Read These Next Mexico's missing count is moving in the wrong direction. Need a solid 'air hack'? Book your flight on this day. Brazilian influencer is dead at 27 after cosmetic surgery. Trump sets 10% tariff, then raises it. Report an error