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Australian workers have right to ignore work messages outside of working hours, report says Tengri Life refer to Daily Mail.
New industrial relations rules come into effect in Australia giving workers the legal right to ignore calls and messages from their employers outside of working hours, a move aimed at restoring work-life balance that has sparked controversy among businesses and politicians.
Under the new laws, employees can choose not to monitor, read and respond to work communications outside of paid work time unless there is a reasonable request. Industrial Relations Minister Murray Watt said the reasonableness of these requests would depend on the level of work and the nature of the work, and encouraged workers to discuss these issues with their employers.
“The main aim of these changes is to get people back to having more work-life balance,” Senator Watt said.
He stressed the importance of respecting employees’ privacy, especially if they are working outside of normal working hours without pay.
The new rules will benefit employees who frequently check their phones during non-work hours for work chat updates and respond to messages from management at all times.
However, the introduction of the rules has sparked a fierce political debate, with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton vowing to repeal the laws if elected, arguing they could harm small businesses and Australia’s competitiveness.
The new rules do not apply in emergency situations, and the concept of “reasonableness” of contact remains broad, taking into account many factors, including the employee’s situation and the nature of their work. Business representatives have expressed skepticism about the practical application of the rules and believe they will create an additional bureaucratic burden.
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