'Right To Disconnect': This Country Lets Employees Ignore Bosses After Work Hours — All About It

The 'Right To Disconnect' law aims to promote work-life balance and prevent unpaid overtime. It includes exceptions based on employee role, contact reason, and reasonableness.

Australia has introduced a law in which their employees will have the legal right to ignore their bosses outside of working hours. This new law enshrines the "right to disconnect" and is set to come into force on Monday. The legislation, passed in February, protects workers who choose not to monitor, read, or respond to employer communications after work hours.

As per a report by news agency Reuters, this law faced criticism from employer groups during its passage through parliament earlier this year, with concerns that it was rushed and had shortcomings. The law does include exceptions, based on factors like the employee's role, the reason for the contact, and other considerations where ignoring communications might be deemed unreasonable.

The amendment, proposed by the Greens empowers workers and allows workers to “refuse to monitor, read, or respond to contact, or attempted contact, from an employer outside of working hours unless the refusal is unreasonable,” according to a Bloomberg report.

France, Germany, Other EU Nations Have Similar Laws Against Contacting Employees Outside Work Hours

While the law does not prohibit employers from reaching out to workers after hours, it protects employees from being penalised for disconnecting after work. The Australian government asserts that these changes will safeguard workers' rights and promote a healthier work-life balance.

Earlier, the former Employment Minister of Australia, Tony Burke, of the ruling Labor Party stated that most senators support the legislation, which aims to prevent “employees from working unpaid overtime by granting a right to disconnect from unreasonable contact outside of working hours,” as reported by Reuters.

Similar laws are already in place in countries like France, Germany, and other EU nations. Portugal's Labor Code mandates that “employers must refrain from contacting workers during their rest periods, except in emergencies.” Violating this can result in fines, as it is considered a serious offense to infringe on an employee’s privacy, according to Forbes.

Belgium also introduced the right to disconnect for thousands of its federal civil servants in 2022.