Bosses can no longer reach employees after hours: 'Right to disconnect' comes into effect

Following the law that has come into effect in Australia, employees are no longer required to answer calls or read messages from their employers after working hours.

The new law, called the "right to disconnect," allows employees to cut off communication outside of working hours if they wish, without fear of being penalized by their bosses. Similar rules are applied in more than 20 countries, primarily in Europe and Latin America.

According to a study published last year, Australians perform an average of 281 hours of unpaid overtime per year.

While the law does not prohibit employers from contacting employees outside of working hours, it grants employees the right not to respond. However, if an employee chooses to disconnect after hours, it must be considered reasonable.

'THEY TRY TO RESOLVE DISPUTES AMONG THEMSELVES'

According to the rules, employers and employees try to resolve disputes among themselves. However, if a solution cannot be found this way, the Australian Fair Work Commission (FWC) can intervene. If the FWC finds the employee's refusal to respond reasonable, it prohibits the employer from contacting the employee outside of working hours. If the employee's refusal to respond is not found reasonable, it mandates that the employee must respond.

In case of non-compliance with FWC decisions, fines of up to 19 thousand Australian dollars for employees and up to 94 thousand Australian dollars for employers can be imposed.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions stated that this will allow employees to achieve a better work-life balance by giving them the right to refuse unreasonable work requests outside of hours.

A workplace expert told BBC News that the new rules would also help employers. John Hopkins from Swinburne University of Technology said, “Any organization that has staff who are better rested and have a better work-life balance will have staff who take less sick leave and are less likely to leave the organization. Anything that benefits the employee also benefits the employer.”

'WE FEEL LIKE WE HAVE TO DELIVER WORK 24 HOURS A DAY'

However, the new law has received mixed reactions from employees. Speaking to Reuters, advertising industry worker Rachel Abdelnour said, "I think it's really important that we have laws like this. We spend most of our time attached to our phones, our emails, and I think it's very hard to switch off as it is."

A person working in the finance sector said that the law is a perfect idea but does not think it will become widespread in the finance industry.

Finance sector employee David Brennan said, "To be honest, I doubt it will catch on in our industry. We get paid well, we are expected to deliver work, and we feel like we have to deliver work 24 hours a day."

News Source: 12punto