A Right to Disconnect Policy is a written policy in which an organization outlines rules around working hours. This article will describe what a right to disconnect policy might look like and why it can be helpful for your organization. By the end of the article, you will know what a right to disconnect entails and how to encourage your workers to detach from work at the end of the day.
What is A Right To Disconnect Policy?
The right to disconnect can be defined as the workers’ right to not engage in work-related activities, including:
These and any other job-related activities will be prohibited during after-work hours if the organization creates a policy around the right to disconnect. Though these policies are not common yet, some governments have mandated them as part of their workers’ rights laws, so managers should start to look at what goes into them.
Ontario’s New Right to Disconnect Policy Law
At the end of 2021, the Ontario government announced a law that came into effect the following year (2022) that mandated the creation of the Right to Disconnect Policy for organizations.
This mandate stated that any organization with more than 25 employees must create a policy around the right to disconnect. Organizations are now expected to provide each employee with a written copy of their right to disconnect policy and should make sure workers are sticking to the rules.
This mandate was started as a way to protect workers from employees who may require more working hours than what the law allows, but without extra compensation. The issue was considered a workers’ rights violation, and workers can now refuse work after regular working hours.
The Ontario law is important as it indicates a new trend that is sweeping the world. In countries such as Spain, Italy and Germany, the right to disconnect has been passed into law, and it looks as though this will also come to the rest of Canada.
Why is The Right to Disconnect Important?
When the pandemic caused work to be pushed into the home, it became difficult to see the boundary between home life and work life. Many people started to become available almost 24/7, as it was hard to put your work down when it was always around.
As this became the norm, expectations around when you do work also changed. A lot of people felt obligated to answer emails or phone calls even after they had already put in a full day’s work, and it became difficult to disconnect.
This caused a lot of people to feel burnt out, meaning they were both physically and mentally tired and unable to do their work well. When this happens, it can affect how well work gets done and employees’ job satisfaction.
When workers feel burnt out, they might disengage from work, meaning productivity levels can fall. Job satisfaction is really important to have productive employees, so if your employees start to feel unsatisfied with their work, the organization sees the consequences.
By having policies around the right to disconnect, you can protect your company from lack of motivation and disengagement.
Related article: 10 Company Policies to Consider for Your Business
How to Encourage Workers to Disconnect
Other than having a formal policy around the right to disconnect, you can also encourage workers to disconnect with the following:
By having the above example emplace in your organization, you will be able to foster an environment where people feel able to disconnect without judgement. Encouraging workers to take a step back from work can improve how employees feel about work, which is always good for productivity.
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