DOWNING Street has announced a new workers’ rights initiative to protect employees against being contacted by their bosses outside of working hours.
Here is everything we know about Labour’s ‘right to switch off’ plan.
The initiative is part of Labour‘s ‘New Deal for Working People’: a set of measures aimed at bolstering employee rights while boosting the economy.
Flexible working hours and locations have become widely normalised since the COVID-19 pandemic.
But while this is seen as largely positive, the government acknowledges that it can blur the lines between work and home life.
To combat homes becoming “24/7 offices”, Downing Street announced its ‘right to switch off’ code of practice.
This would entitle workers to not receive or engage with work emails, phone calls or notifications from messaging platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Slack.
The idea follows similar models in other countries, such as Ireland, Belgium and France.
The plan would give workers the right to not be consistently contacted about work-related issues outside of working hours.
This will be based on an advance agreement between employees and their employers.
Staff would have specific hours when they can be contacted set out in company policy.
The initiative itself is not legally binding, but it would support a worker’s claims in the event of an existing employment tribunal case.
If a boss has breached the agreement, this can be put forward as an ‘aggravating factor’ of the worker’s claim and potentially lead to the employer owing them more compensation.
Details of how the model will apply to different industries and roles remain unclear, but the government has ensured that it will not be a “one size fits all” approach.
Employee wellbeing is a central focus of the ‘right to switch off’ plan.
The Prime Minister’s deputy spokesperson said “This is about ensuring people have some time to rest”.
By improving work-life balance, the government believes that employees will be protected against poor mental health and burnout.
The initiative is also being developed for its supposed economic benefits, with the PM’s deputy spokesperson explaining that “a culture presenteeism can be damaging to productivity.”
Labour’s hope is that a more motivated and productive workforce with help boost the country’s economic growth.
Current UK legislation states that an average working week should be no more than 48 hours.
However, there is no legal protection against bosses contacting workers or pressuring them to take on additional work outside of their contracted hours.
‘Right to switch off’ policies will provide the first official measures that safeguard employees’ entitlement to disconnect from their workplace.
