Australia's right-to-disconnect law has come into effect — giving employees the right to refuse contact if their employers reach out to them by phone or email after hours, a type of law that has popped up around the world.
"What we're simply saying is that someone who is not being paid 24 hours a day shouldn't be penalized if they're not online and available 24 hours a day," said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ahead of the legislation's enactment into law.
Industry leaders were less keen on the legislation. "I think this is a triumph of stupidity over common sense," said Andrew McKellar of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The legislation doesn't stop bosses from reaching out in the first place. And like other right-to-disconnect laws, there's a caveat: workers will have the right to refuse contact unless the refusal is deemed unreasonable. Whether the request itself is unreasonable isn't a factor, according to the country's work tribunal.
That unreasonability depends on a number of factors, like the worker's role, their personal circumstances, the method and reason for contact, how much they're disrupted by the request and how they're compensated for being available or working more.
Right-to-disconnect laws vary...
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