Workers’ homes will not become “24/7 offices” as labor has pledged to grant workers the ability to reject calls and emails pertaining to work during off-peak hours.
Ministers are examining examples from other nations, such Belgium and Ireland, where disconnecting is already legal.
Making sure that “we’re not inadvertently blurring the lines between work and home life” is the goal of the strategy, according to the prime minister’s spokesperson today.
“The goal of this is to make sure that businesses and employees have the proper setups in place to ensure that they can be productive,” she stated.
Growth is one of the main goals of the government, and productivity is clearly essential to growth.”
She said the plans were not a “one size fits all” and would take into account the fact that people and corporations have various needs.
In Ireland, a Code of Practice was created in 2021 after unions were consulted. It mandates that companies communicate with employees with a “right to disconnect” policy that outlines when employees may be contacted outside of regular business hours.
The code can be used as evidence against employers in lawsuits alleging violations of employee rights, but it is not legally binding in and of itself.
