Independent

Australia will allow workers right to ignore calls from bosses outside of work hours

Australia granted millions of employees the legal right to disconnect on Monday, allowing people to ignore unreasonable out-of-hours emails and phone calls from their employers.

Al Jazeera

Australia's Senate passed the legislation in February, making the reason, nature of work, and compensation key factors in deciding if contacting workers outside of work hours was reasonable.

Dw.Com

The law has come into effect for medium and large companies. Smaller businesses with fewer than 15 employees will get the right on Aug. 22, 2025. Additionally, people who earn over $175K can't exercise this right.

Firstpost

Employers aren't banned from contacting workers after hours. However, firms contacting employees unreasonably after work will be fined up to $63K if Australia's Fair Work Commission deems the contact unreasonable.

Time

BBC News

The law is Australia's attempt to address the invasion of workers' personal lives by work since COVID. According to the Australia Institute, an average Australian employee performed an average of 5.4 hours of unpaid work each week in 2023.

Reuters

Independent #2962

Workers in Australia Monday gained the right to ignore work-related emails and phone calls after logging out for the day — but only if they are deemed “unreasonable.”

Al Jazeera #

Australia's Senate passed the new law in February, making the reason, nature of work, and compensation key factors in deciding if contact was reasonable.

Dw.Com #

While the law becomes applicable Monday to workers of firms with over 15 employees, those of smaller businesses will get the right on Aug. 22, 2025.

ABC #

Henceforth, firms contacting employees unreasonably after work will be fined up to $63K. Countries like France, Spain, and Belgium already have such laws.

Time #

The law pushes back against the invasion of workers' personal lives by work, which has reportedly accelerated in Australia since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reuters #

The think-tank Australia Institute reported that the average Australian employee aged 18-29 performed an average 7.4 hours of unpaid work each week in 2023.

The Right to Disconnect law was needed in Australia due to "availability creep," where employees are increasingly expected to work outside scheduled hours. This trend, exacerbated by smartphones and remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to significant unpaid overtime and negative consequences for workers' mental health, physical well-being, productivity, and personal lives. The law aims to restore work-life balance and protect employees from unpaid labor.

The University of Sydney

The University of Sydney #

Right to disconnect laws are a necessary fix

The Right to Disconnect law was unnecessary and will reduce workplace flexibility and productivity. It will likely be detrimental to both workers and the economy, potentially disrupting the existing consensus on workplace flexibility. There is also concern about the law's lack of clarity and potential negative impacts on employment opportunities and employer-employee relationships. For instance, who exactly will decide what is "reasonable" about a call or an email when made after work hours?

ICLG

ICLG #

New Australian ‘right to disconnect’ law sparks backlash from business groups

There is a 50% chance the average American employee will work 31.18 hours per week in 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Metaculus2

How many hours will the average American employee work per week in 2030?

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Australia: Right to Ignore After-Hour Emails, Calls Comes Into Effect

Australia

Labor

The right to disconnect will rid Australians of "availability creep," where employees are expected to work outside office hours. This trend, exacerbated by smartphones and remote work during COVID, has led to significant unpaid overtime and mental and physical health issues. The law will restore work-life balance and protect employees from unpaid labor.

This law will reduce workplace flexibility and productivity, potentially disrupting the existing consensus on workplace flexibility. There's also concern about the law's lack of clarity and potential negative impacts on employment opportunities and employer-employee relationships. For instance, who exactly will decide what is "reasonable" about a call or an email when made after work hours?

There's a 50% chance that the average American employee will work at least 31.18 hours per week in 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Australia: 'Right to Disconnect' From Work Comes into Effect

Australia: 'Right to IgnoreDisconnect' After-HourFrom Emails,Work Calls Comes Intointo Effect

The Spin

Metaculus Prediction

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