The Australian government is hoping to pass a Bill that will institute a “right to disconnect”, regulating whether bosses can contact workers beyond their working hours through calls, messages or e-mails.
- As per the bill, an employee may refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact, or attempted contact, from an employer outside of the employee’s working hours unless the refusal is unreasonable.
- Similar laws are in place in France, Italy and Belgium. France was the first country to have introduced a ‘right to disconnect’ for employees, in 2017. “
- The concept of the ‘Right to Disconnect’ stems from the recognition that modern technology blurs the boundaries between work and personal life.
- With the ability to work remotely, employees often find themselves engaged in work-related communications beyond traditional office hours.
- This phenomenon, exacerbated by the Covid pandemic, has led to concerns about stress and burnout among workers.
- This has prompted numerous countries to look at laws to protect the “right to disconnect”.
