A “right to disconnect” law has come into force in Australia, providing relief to people who feel compelled to take calls or read messages from their employer after work.
The new law allows employees to ignore messages even after work without fear of punishment from their boss.
According to a survey published last year, Australians work an average of 281 hours of unpaid overtime each year.
More than 20 countries, mainly in Europe and Latin America, have similar rules.
The law does not prohibit employers from contacting employees after work.
Instead, staff are given the right not to respond unless their refusal is deemed unreasonable.
Under the regulations, employers and employees should try to resolve disputes between themselves, but if that fails, the Australian Fair Work Commission (FWC) can intervene.
The FWC can then order the employer not to contact the employee after work.
If the court considers an employee’s refusal to answer unreasonable, it may require him to answer.
Failure to comply with FWC orders can result in fines of up to A$19,000 (US$12,897; £9,762) for a worker and up to A$94,000 for a business.
Employee organizations have welcomed this step.
It “will give workers the opportunity to refuse inappropriate work contact outside of working hours and enable a better work-life balance,” the Australian Federation of Trade Unions said.
A workplace expert told BBC News that the new rules would also help employers.
“Any company whose employees are better rested and have a better work-life balance is less likely to have fewer sick days and less likely to leave the company,” says John Hopkins of Swinburne University of Technology.
“Everything that benefits the employee also benefits the employer.”
However, employees’ reactions to the new law were mixed.
“I think it’s really important that we have laws like this,” advertising industry executive Rachel Abdelnour told Reuters.
“We spend so much time on our phones and our emails, all day long, and I think it’s already very difficult to switch off.”
Others don’t believe the new rules will make much difference to them.
“I think it’s an excellent idea. I hope it gets traction. But frankly, I doubt it will catch on in our industry,” David Brennan, a financial industry executive, told the news agency.
“We are well paid, we are expected to deliver, and we feel like we have to deliver 24 hours a day.”
