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  5. Australia gives workers right to ignore bosses after-hours calls and emails

Australia gives workers right to ignore bosses after-hours calls and emails

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Australia has passed legislation granting workers a "right to disconnect" outside of work hours, allowing them to ignore emails and phone calls from bosses if they choose to. This law aims to address the blurring of boundaries between professional and personal lives. The legislation is similar to rules in over 20 other countries. The law is intended to give workers the confidence to set boundaries between their work and personal lives, which has become increasingly difficult due to digital technology.

  1. Michele O'Neil
    1. We really welcome the fact that it's now a right for workers in law in Australia, and that is important because the simple principle should apply, that you should be paid for all the work you do.
  2. AU
    Anthony Albanese
    Australian Government
    1. What we are simply saying is that someone who isn't being paid 24 hours a day shouldn't be penalised if they're not online and available 24 hours a day.
  3. US
    Chris Wright
    US Department of Energy
    1. There's been some studies in Australia that indicate that technology had the effect of eroding people's boundaries between people's work lives and their non-work lives.
    2. And I think the right-to-disconnect laws will help [Australian companies] to think more creatively about how to work smarter.
    3. There are often countries that have lower working hours… like France with its 35-hour work week. That's been kind of criticised a bit… but it's actually been a contributing factor that led France to have quite good productivity outcomes.
    4. This is always a culture that characterises work in Australia. People might work standard working hours, but once they leave their office each day, they are often still working.
  4. John Hopkins
    1. Now, globally it's the norm to have emails, SMS, phone calls outside those hours, even when on holiday.
    2. Before we had digital technology there was no encroachment, people would go home at the end of a shift and there would be no contact until they returned the following day.
    3. Anything that benefits the employee, has benefits for the employer as well.
    4. It will actually encourage discussion around what kind of contact is already happening and why is that contact happening. Why are employers contacting their employees outside of their work hours – is that essential? And hopefully, it will lead to a reduction in that unnecessary contact.
  5. David Brennan
    1. We're well paid, we're expected to deliver, and we feel we have to deliver 24 hours a day.
    2. 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.
  6. Rachel Abdelnour
    1. I think it's actually really important that we have laws like this.
    2. 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.

sources

  1. 1.CNA News
  2. 2.BBC
  3. 3.Al Jazeera
  4. 4.Reuters

perspectives

  1. 1.Australia under Anthony Albanese
  2. 2.Workers rights

countries

  1. 1.AustraliaAU
  2. 2.CanadaCA
  3. 3.ChinaCN
  4. 4.GermanyDE
  5. 5.FranceFR
  6. 6.ItalyIT

organizations

  1. 1.Fair Work Commission
  2. 2.Swinburne University of Technology
  3. 3.Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies
  4. 4.Labour Party
  5. 5.Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
  6. 6.University of Sydney

persons

  1. 1.John Hopkins
  2. 2.Anthony AlbaneseAU
  3. 3.Chris WrightUS
  4. 4.David Brennan
  5. 5.Michele O'Neil
  6. 6.Rachel Abdelnour
  7. 7.Bran BlackAU