Should Employees Have the Right to Switch off From Work?

Should employees have a right to switch off from work? It’s a hot topic at the moment with plans from the government to look at the issue and perhaps bring in legislation. 

 

There is clearly some benefit to having boundaries, but what are the potential pitfalls, and what needs to happen to make them workable? 

 

RTSC’s founder, Annette Clay, writes… 

 

At the turn of the millennium, technology emerged as the internet, email, and eventually smartphones found their way into the workplace. 

 

It’s fair to say, they changed the way workers got their jobs done and the shape of the workday. (All pretty impressive as we were all unsure what would happen when we switched off our work PC's Christmas 1999). 

 

 

In 2008, I was handed my shiny new BlackBerry. After a crash course on synchronising my phone, I was in the world of seeing emails while on the go and always being contactable. 

 

I loved not having to find Wi-Fi to check emails on my laptop. The novelty of always being available and checking in on emails before going to bed at night took a long time to wear off, if it ever did. 

 

But, I recall one night I decided to leave my phone in my hotel room and sit reading in the lobby. I didn’t read any emails until the next day - I would arrive at a centre only to find that all hell had broken loose because of a miscommunication between a customer and a branch. 

 

 

After a day of negotiations and trying to build relationships, I drove a three-hour journey home with a constant thought - if only I had checked my emails, I could have intercepted them, and the problem may not have got out of proportion. 

 

Fast-forward to 2020-2021. The pandemic shifted some employees' outlook on work-life balance, especially with remote and hybrid working. 

 

Personal lives and work lives weaved together in an unprecedented way, both for good and for bad. 

 

There was no longer the commute, allowing the transition from professional to mum, dad, partner, wife or husband, etc, and it caused workers to become newly invested in separating the two. 

 

In Autumn 2024, we are looking at Labour's proposed reform, one area of which is the right to switch off, which sees employees disconnect from work-related communications outside their regular working hours. 

 

The goal is to foster job security and reduce workplace stress, contributing to overall well-being, but it has positives and challenges for both the employee and employer. 

 

 

Labour says their work-life balance reforms aim to create a more secure, equitable workplace with more worker protection. By promoting mental well-being and job security, these reforms could positively reduce presenteeism, absenteeism, and turnover. 

 

But switching off out-of-office hours will require firm boundaries from the employer and employee. 

 

 

Implementing these laws within the workplace will require transparency and delegation. Still, it could have little effect if an employee struggles to switch off for fear of losing control. 

 

Will this law give more power to the office or to a bully? While this will protect an employee by giving rest to those who suffer bullying outside of working hours, it could have an even more negative impact on their productivity during office hours. 

 

Being less productive due to continually being under pressure could then lead to a further negative impact on their mental health while giving additional power to a toxic environment. 

 

 

Work-life balance requires ownership from both employers and employees. Transparency, open communication, and a non-judgmental space are essential for a proactive approach to employee well-being. 

 

When values and visions align, employers and employees can grow personally and professionally. 

It takes a non-judgmental space, delegation, transparency and open true communication between the employer and employee. 

 

Annette