Employment Solicitor | ELA Junior Committee Member | Volunteer Legal Supervisor at the Islamophobia Response Unit | Commentator Demystifying the Grey Areas of Employment Law
Do you check your work emails or respond to calls after hours? If elected into power, The Labour Party proposes to introduce a 'statutory right to switch off' so that workers are not contacted unnecessarily outside of their working hours. The aim of the proposal is to encourage and promote a better work life balance for workers in the UK. Other countries such as France and Australia have already implemented this right for their workers. If implemented in the UK, the 'right to disconnect' is likely to be subject to the test of reasonableness. For example, in Australia, workers have the right to ignore communications from their employers outside of their normal working hours, provided that their refusal to communicate is reasonable in the circumstances. With more employees working remotely since the pandemic, it is important that workers feel they are able to switch off. The right to disconnect could be a step in the right direction as it could help workers separate their professional and personal lives. Steps that employers can take right now: ✅️ Encourage staff to avoid checking their emails or taking calls whilst on holiday. Where possible, staff should prepare a handover note of the work they are leaving behind. Teams can work together to pick up any redirected emails on behalf of their colleagues. This is a great way to encourage your staff to make the most of their well-earned holiday breaks and can help them to return to work feeling refreshed (rather than burnt-out). ✅️ Speak to your staff about their experiences with remote/hybrid working and whether they need any support with 'switching off.' ✅️ Provide training to all staff so that they are clear on what is expected of them. Managers should be trained to monitor and recognise unsociable working hours within their teams. Communications outside of normal working hours should be treated as the exception rather than the norm. ✅️ Arrange regular catch-up sessions with your staff. This is a great way of monitoring their workload. 🔔 If you are interested in Employment Law updates, please feel free to follow my page. #WorkLifeBalance #Inclusion #RightToSwitchOff #WorkplaceCulture #LegalUpdates #EmploymentLaw #HR #HcrBrum
Boundaries from work to protect our mental health so we can switch off should always be made a priority