Right to disconnect?

A number of UK employees whose roles allow, are working flexibly, enjoying the benefits and choice of where they do their work – and when – and having a better work-life balance.

But the downside can be a continual blurring of the lines between work and home. We’re connected for far longer. For many, work isn’t something we can simply walk away from. It’s the spare room or the kitchen table. And with our phones, we carry the most powerful communication tool around with us, checking our devices up to 58 times a day, which fuels this ‘always on’ culture.

It's just more difficult to switch off or unwind these days.

We’ve all got managers and colleagues who email or message us after working hours and even while we’re on holiday. Sometimes it’s important and need to know or do information, but often it’s because it fits their own working pattern or has become an informal ‘how we work around here’ and we can feel compelled to read or respond.

With continuing pressure on UK employers to better engage and support employee wellbeing, many organisations have stepped up with key initiatives and policies.

Yet a recent report (Mental Health UK’s Burnout Report 2024) showed that one in five workers needed to take time off work due to stress or poor mental health in the last year. Some organisations have even seen the growth of ‘leave-ism’, extreme cases in which employees book annual leave to catch u.

This is against a backdrop of a growing movement across Europe championing the right to disconnect – an employee’s right to switch off from work outside of normal working hours.

France introduced legislation that prevents organisations contacting employees out of hours in 2017, followed by countries such as Italy, Spain and Australia. In 2021, Ireland introduced a new Code of Practice on the right to disconnect, which aims to create a culture of good work-life balance and break bad habits where people feel obliged to respond to messages out of hours.

And now the Government proposes to introduce a right to disconnect in the UK. Their Plan to Make Work Pay says that they will give “workers and employers the opportunity to have constructive conversations and work together on bespoke workplace policies or contractual terms that benefit both parties”.

Although this is softer than the original plan and isn’t an absolute, legal right to disconnect, it’s aligning more closely with the Irish model that focuses on employers establishing a written policy.

Lawyers expect that, as a minimum, UK employers will be required to engage with their staff about a right to disconnect policy.

Even though reports say that in countries such as Ireland and Belgium, the right to disconnect has made little difference in the day-to-day life of employees, it’s surely good business and good communication practice to be clear about what a right to disconnect means within an organisation.

As communicators we should look to our own working practices first, to be ready for any change in law or codes of practice. Within our own teams, are we ‘always on’ or do we feel uncomfortable about not responding to unimportant messages?

Is there a culture of leadership regularly sending emails out of working hours that expect a response? Are we contributing to this by scheduling emailers and newsletters at ‘quieter’ times outside of working hours?

Across the business, is communication an aspect considered in any wellbeing policy, or are there guidelines to advise on behaviours say around email best practice? Are there any culture studies planned or is data available into potentially toxic working habits in teams or departments? And is the business considering the introduction of a right to disconnect policy as a tangible way to contribute to wellbeing and to help bring company values to life?

IC will no doubt also need to provide support to the business and specifically to help line managers communicate guidelines with teams and to open up conversation about what practically works best for team members.

I’m not suggesting that ALL communication out of working hours should be discouraged. Many of us work across global businesses, or there’s news or information that has to be shared quickly – that’s business life.

But establishing good practice around communication and being mindful that we don’t have to be ‘always on’ is also good for business.

Employers with clear policies and a positive approach to supporting work-life balance are more likely to have employees who are happier at work, take less time off due to stress or poor mental health, and who are more likely to stay with their employer.