A Canadian government ministry has ordered employees to relax and not to use their BlackBerry smartphones at night or on weekends and holidays.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada wants to re-establish a proper balance between work and life. 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.

He wrote that work/life quality is a priority for this organization because achieving it "benefits us both as individuals and as a department." He said that when people can 'balance' work and personal responsibilities, they can serve and perform more effectively.

Fadden also asked employees not to use BlackBerries during meetings and also not to schedule meetings over lunch.