Australia and several European countries grant employees the right to disconnect after paid hours to promote a healthy work-life balance.
Looks like more and more countries are joining the work-life balance team.
The heightened clamor for workplaces that offer this balance can be traced back to the pandemic, a period which gave many employees a taste of what work-life balance could look like. This led to what became known as the “Great Resignation,” where many people left their jobs for new opportunities.
One of the factors which led to this shift is what Harvard Business Review calls “reconsideration.” Observers suggest that the many deaths and instances of serious illness brought about by the pandemic have caused people to reconsider the role of work in their lives.
That change in perspective is likely to have motivated some workers to quit, especially those who were experiencing burnout or were in demanding jobs that intruded on their ability to care for their families. Worth mentioning is how women have been affected more than men, and younger age groups more than older ones.
Since then, more workers have developed a preference for workplaces that offer work-life balance, compelling companies, even countries, to recalibrate their notions of the boundary that separate work from life.
Most recently and quite surprisingly, Japan, notorious for its punishing work culture that it has a term for literally working oneself to death—karoshi—is looking to adopt four-day work weeks. A recent government white paper on “karoshi” said Japan has at least 54 such fatalities a year, including from heart attacks.
Though it remains to be seen if this will push through in a country known for workaholic stoicism, there are already several countries which give employees the “right to ignore their bosses after work hours.” Let’s take a look at some of them.
Australia
Australia is the latest country to allow employees the “right to disconnect” from work, according to a report on the CNBC. This measure has so far been implemented mostly in European nations.
Under the new legislation, organizations are not allowed to punish employees for not picking up their phone or responding to emails beyond work hours. This means that while employers and third-party clients can still make contact with their staff outside of paid hours, workers now have the legal right to refuse to respond — unless doing so is “unreasonable.”
What is deemed unreasonable will be assessed by Australia’s Fair Work Commission, which will take into account factors such as the nature of the employee’s role and level of responsibility, how the contact was made, and how disruptive it was to the employee.
Belgium
Since 2022, Belgium has granted workers the right to ignore work-related messages after hours. Initially for civil servants only, the legislation has been extended to those working in the private sector with companies having 20 or more employees.
On top of this, Belgium’s employees also have a four-day work week.
France
In 2017, France implemented its “right to disconnect” from work emails during non-work hours. Companies with 50 or more employees are required to negotiate with employee representatives to decide when workers can be contacted via electronic communication methods. Failing to comply with the rules could fetch a fine of up to 1% of a worker’s total compensation.
France is known for having one of the most regulated labor markets in the developed world, largely due to its legally-required 35-hour work week.
Ireland
Ireland has adopted a Code of Practice on the right to disconnect from office outside of work hours. This grants workers the right to not attend to work matters outside of normal working hours, as well as enforce a duty on employers to respect their employees’ rights to disconnect by not contacting them beyond hours.
The code extends to all modes of employment, from remote working to fixed location.
Italy
In Italy, meanwhile, the legislation applies more specifically to remote work. It stipulates that every work-from-home agreement should specify rest periods, and outline the measures necessary for the employee to completely disengage from work-related devices.
Portugal
In Portugal, employers are prohibited from contacting employees after work hours in what the law calls the “right to rest.” Love your zzzs? Then you may want to consider moving there as employees are also given the right to at least 11 straight hours of “night rest,” during which they should not be disturbed unless it is an emergency.
Spain
Employees in Spain also have the right to disconnect from work-related digital communications outside established working hours to promote good work-life balance.
A nationwide campaign launched by the country’s National Institute for Safety and Health at Work has raised awareness about the initiative, highlighting employers’ obligations to facilitate a healthier digitalized workplace.
There have been reports that the United Kingdom might be the next to adopt similar initiatives. A union for professionals, Prospect, found that almost 60% of employees are in support of the right to disconnect, according to a campaign it held last September.
While there is currently no official right to disconnect from work in the UK, it is mandated that a working week should not exceed 48 hours on average, over a 17-week period.
