It is not enough to give employees the ‘right to disconnect’. This law helps to make our country a more egalitarian society
This week the Portuguese parliament attracted headlines around the world, and even some attention from The Daily Show, after we banned bosses from contacting their employees outside of working hours. Under the new laws, employers will now face sanctions if they text message, phone or email their workers when they are off the clock.
For us, this is as an essential move to strengthen the boundaries needed for a good work-life balance. There should be a boundary between the time when an employer’s authority prevails, and the time when the worker’s autonomy should prevail. There should be a boundary between the time in which a worker is a resource in the service of the person paying their salary, and the time in which they should be the owner of a life that is not all about work. We have introduced these new labour laws to avoid the blurring of the boundary between the time we spend serving others and family time. The boundary between time as a commodity with a financial value, and the precious time remaining for the enjoyment of life.
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