Right to disconnect looms as massive work change giving lives back to employees

Summary

Being available 24/7, and not being paid for out-of-hours work, is a side effect of modern technology. Recently Victoria Police staff have won the 'right to disconnect'. Apart from emergencies and checking up on their welfare, they're not to be contacted outside of work hours. This right to disconnect allows workers to switch off and should improve their mental health. In 2017 France, passed legislation to ensure companies negotiate when employees can be contacted by SMS, phone or email. This article notes that there is research showing that expecting employees to reply to communication out of hours reduces efficiency overall due to chronic stress and fatigue. There is also a legal risk if there is an expectation of communication after hours without it being in a workplace agreement. A positive work-life balance is good for job performance and can enable us better to do our jobs.

References

• May 2020 Business News What After-Hours Emails Really Do to Your Employees

• July 2020 Forbes Make Your Team More Productive! Stop Sending Work Emails Off Hours.

• Apr 2021 Mondaq Australia: Right to Disconnect – FWC approves Victorian police enterprise agreement

• Apr 2021 ABC Right to disconnect looms as massive work change giving lives back to employees

• Apr 2021 SMH Work is everywhere now, so do staff have a ‘right to disconnect’?