Australia: Workers no longer need to attend calls after work hours
Australia is planning to introduce a milestone law as it moves towards giving its workers a work-life balance. The law is being popularized as “Right to Disconnect”. It will allow the workers to ignore the unreasonable calls, messages and emails sent to the employees after work hours.
The “right to disconnect” is part of a multitude of changes being brought to the industrial relations laws proposed by the federal government under a parliamentary bill.
Australia is not the only country in the world to have thought on these lines. France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and others have already established the “Right to Disconnect” in their countries as a law.
Employees who feel they are being unnecessarily contacted or hassled should first raise the issue with the employer. If the issue remains unresolved, they can escalate it by taking the case to the Fair Work Commission. It could consequently result in fines if the employer fails to comply with the Commission.
