The thrill of getting a work-issued mobile phone is often quickly eclipsed by its constant reminders that you’ve still — always — got work to do.

But some companies are trying to help its employees keep their home and work lives separate, and this week Volkswagen joined in. The automaker has agreed to stop sending employee emails to its BlackBerry servers outside of some German workers’ shifts, with a 30-minute buffer on either side, the BBC reported Friday. Employees can still make calls on their devices (and the rules aren’t in place for senior management), but now have a reprieve from off-hours beeps and buzzes.

The report notes other companies that have done the same, including the maker of Persil washing powder, which has declared an email “amnesty” for its workers between Christmas and New Year’s. The Washington Post’s Jena McGregor recently wrote that the French company Atos has banned internal email altogether.

In 2008, the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that employees with company phones often worked more than 50 hours a week, with 62 percent saying that having the gadgets triggered demands that they work more hours; 38 percent said that the demands increased “a lot.” And cellphone use has only increased since then.

A complete ban on work emails may not be the solution for everyone, the report said. For example, work emails may wind up being rerouted to personal email addresses, blurring the line between work and personal lives even further. But the policies do stand as evidence that businesses are starting to recognize the impact of an always-connected job.

“The issue of employees using BlackBerrys, computers and other devices out of working time is a growing one that needs to be addressed as it can be a source of stress,” Trades Union Congress secretary general Brendan Barber told the BBC. But, he added, “ (by) working in partnership with their union, Volkswagen’s policy will have the support of all their employees. Where employers simply introduce policies on their own, however well-meaning they may be, they are unlikely to be successful.”