New legislation in Australia, effective as of Monday, grants workers the legal right to disregard unreasonable work-related calls and emails outside of regular work hours. This measure has sparked criticism from business groups.
Under the new law, employers face potential fines of ($63,000) for contacting employees for non-essential reasons during non-working hours.
“Just as individuals don’t receive compensation 24 hours a day, they shouldn’t be expected to work 24 hours a day,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated on Monday to the Australian Broadcasting Corp., expressing his belief that these changes will boost productivity.
“Many Australians, I believe, are growing frustrated with the expectation of being accessible via phone, email, and other means throughout the day,” he added. “It’s a mental health issue, frankly.”
Australia joins other nations such as France, Spain, and Belgium in enacting “right to disconnect” laws intended to safeguard workers from excessive contact outside of their work hours. Other governments worldwide are contemplating similar measures.
Local business groups have voiced concerns regarding the new laws. Andrew McKellar, chief executive officer of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, characterized the changes as a “thought bubble” and stated that businesses were not consulted during the legislative process.
Any disputes arising from employers’ attempts to contact workers outside of office hours can be escalated to Australia’s industrial relations umpire, the Fair Work Commission, for a final resolution, as announced by Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt on Monday.
However, he expressed hope that employers and employees would be able to resolve any disputes through dialogue, avoiding the need for escalation.
The right to disconnect will apply immediately to employees of medium and large enterprises. Small businesses will have a 12-month grace period before the law affects their workers, according to the government.