Australia’s new ‘right to disconnect’ law allows employees to ignore after-hours work communications
Australia has introduced a new “right to disconnect” law aimed at relieving employees from the pressure of answering work-related calls or messages outside of their regular working hours.
This new regulation allows workers to ignore communications after hours without facing repercussions from their employers.
A recent survey found that Australians typically work an average of 281 hours of unpaid overtime each year.
While over 20 countries, primarily in Europe and Latin America, have similar regulations, Australia’s law does not prevent employers from reaching out to employees after hours.
Instead, it provides workers the right to not respond unless their refusal is deemed unreasonable.
The law requires employers and employees to first attempt to resolve disputes independently. If they cannot reach an agreement, Australia’s Fair Work Commission (FWC) can intervene.
The FWC can then order an employer to cease contacting the employee after hours or, if necessary, compel the employee to respond.
Non-compliance with FWC orders could result in fines up to A$19,000 ($12,897; £9,762) for individuals and A$94,000 for companies.
Worker organizations have welcomed the new law. The Australian Council of Trade Unions stated that it “will empower workers to refuse unreasonable out-of-hours work contact and enable greater work-life balance.”
According to John Hopkins from Swinburne University of Technology, the law could also benefit employers, as “any organization with staff who have better rest and work-life balance will see fewer sick days and less staff turnover.”
Employee reactions to the new regulation have been mixed. Rachel Abdelnour, an advertising industry worker, praised the law, telling Reuters, “I think it’s actually really important that we have laws like this.
We spend so much of our time connected to our phones, connected to our emails all day, and I think that it’s really hard to switch off as it is.”
Conversely, David Brennan, a financial industry worker, expressed doubt about the law’s impact on his sector, saying, “I think it’s an excellent idea. I hope it catches on. I doubt it’ll catch on in our industry, to tell the truth though. We’re well paid, we’re expected to deliver, and we feel we have to deliver 24 hours a day.”
Source-BBC
