British Safety Council’s Post

Workers will soon be able to ignore work-related emails and calls outside office hours under new rules to be introduced by the Labour government, The Independent reports. It continues: “Meeting the party’s “right to switch off” campaign pledge, the plan will see workers empowered to disconnect from their jobs outside regular hours, including the right to refuse to take on extra work at the weekends. The plans are expected to cover workers’ annual leave, meaning bosses would not be allowed to ask employees to carry out work-related tasks while on holiday. They will come as part of the government’s Plan to Make Work Pay. Other measures in the package were outlined during the King’s Speech on Wednesday. They include banning exploitative zero-hours contracts, ending ‘fire and rehire’, and making sick pay available from day one of any job. Unlike those measures, however, the right to switch off will not be enshrined in law. Instead, it will likely be recommended in the codes of practice for businesses. In the UK, there is no currently no official right to disconnect from work. Labour said the policy will ensure that “working from home does not become homes turning into 24/7 offices”. The statutory workers’ rights laid out in the King’s Speech are expected to come into place in spring, with the new right to switch off likely to come around the same time.” #righttoswitchoff #hr #humanresources

There is an "invisible cost" to being a good employee. In client-facing jobs, there is always more work and a "better" way to do it: Faster responses, more competitive pricing, and an uber-personalized approach at a phone call distance, 24/7. This, in a nutshell, is how the service industry competes, particularly in highly commercialized, low-expertise sectors. The pitfall: A “better” way of doing work is defined around the client and, more often than not, at the expense of those who do it. The next time you take a call in off-hours, know that you are making a concession, likely because your company doesn't differentiate what it sells effectively. Are you happy with paying for this hidden cost? Are you getting compensated in the way of your choosing? 🧘♀️🏢⚖️ #workplacewellbeing #worklifebalance #organizationalculture

Interesting and exciting to see that boundaries related to work-life balance are becoming more and more practical and accepted. What are your thoughts on this new bill in Australia?

Can your boss contact you outside of work hours? That may not be the case for much longer as Labour has announced a new workers' rights initiative to protect employees against being contacted by their bosses outside of working hours. Flexible working hours and locations have become widely normalised since the COVID-19 pandemic. But now the government is acknowledging that it can blur the lines between work and home life. Here's everything you need to know about the new proposed plans. #workfromhome https://lnkd.in/exeu9Xdp

😃 Australia gives workers right to ignore bosses’ after-hours calls, emails The country is the latest to pass legislation granting a ‘right to disconnect’ outside of work hours. Workplaces that breach the rules, which will be enforced by the country’s Fair Work Commission tribunal, face fines of up to 93,900 Australian dollars ($63,805). Australia is extending its laidback reputation to the workplace by granting employees a “right to disconnect” when they are off the clock. Australian workers on Monday gained the legal right to ignore emails and phone calls from bosses outside of work hours, unless doing so is deemed “unreasonable”. The law is Australia’s response to the blurring of boundaries between people’s professional and personal lives amid employers’ growing reliance on digital communications and the popularity of remote working since the COVID-19 pandemic. Australia’s centre-left Labor Party hopes the measure – introduced as part of a package of labour reforms that includes new rules for casual employment and minimum wage standards for delivery riders – will ease pressure on workers to monitor their phone when they are supposed to be relaxing and spending time with their loved ones. “What we are simply saying is that someone who isn’t being paid 24 hours a day shouldn’t be penalised if they’re not online and available 24 hours a day,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a news conference introducing the legislation in February. Workplaces that breach the rules, which will be enforced by the country’s Fair Work Commission tribunal, face fines of up to 93,900 Australian dollars ($63,805). Australia is not the first country to introduce a right to disconnect from work. In 2017, France introduced legislation to protect workers from being punished for not replying to messages outside of work hours, while Germany, Italy and Canada have adopted similar measures. https://lnkd.in/dvqiQXaj

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

Australia is hoping to pass a Bill with a “right to disconnect”, regulating whether bosses can contact workers beyond working hours through calls, messages or e-mails. In India too, an MP tried to introduce such a Bill in 2018. What did it say, and why have countries across the world felt the need for such laws for workers? I explain here: https://lnkd.in/gFMwx4nK

Should we ban emails after 5pm? If Labour come into power, the UK could be the 18th country to impose restrictions on contacting staff out of hours. It would be part of the party's 'right to switch off' plan.  In the article at the link below, there is a reference to Portugal's 'right to disconnect' legislation which fines employers up to 10,000 euros for breaking the rules. 17 countries in total already have this legislation in place, including France, Belgium, Australia, and most of South America. Other countries such as Ireland use it as a 'code of practice' rather than a mandatory requirement. Labour's plan has huge implications for employers. There are a lot of nuances, such as the number of employees and what is deemed as 'urgent' or 'necessary' - but overall, it's something that will affect a lot of employers. The pandemic saw a wholesale adoption of flexible working practices, and many employers chose to continue with them post-pandemic. For many employees, working hours are not always the traditional 9-5 that we were used to. In many organisations, including my own, flexible working means that, as long as your team gets the job done, they can work when it suits them. I have seen first-hand that flexibility (as well as giving the team time to 'switch off') encourages a happy and productive workforce. The 'right to switch off' plan bans managers and bosses from emailing outside of traditional working hours, amongst other rules. Any updates to your HR policies will need to be both comprehensive and bespoke to your organisation. What do you think? Will this move affect your organisation? #RightToSwitchOff #FlexibleWorking #HRpolicies Jessica Pilling, Louise Roberts Note: the read the original article from The Sunday Times, click here: https://lnkd.in/ep-Cf6xQ

RIGHT TO DISCONNECT, hope for my friends in IT. Australia may soon join France in granting employees the RIGHT TO DISCONNECT from work after working hours. A new bill has been presented that would prevent bosses from contacting employees outside of working hours. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated that employees should not be penalized for not being available 24/7 if they are not paid to work 24/7. The proposed legislation offers hope to those in the IT industry, who often face pressure to be available around the clock. In India, a similar bill was drafted in 2018, but it was never brought up for discussion in the House. Let's hope this bill in Australia is passed and sets a precedent for other countries to follow. #RightToDisconnect #WorkLifeBalance #EmployeeRights