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Next month, changes to the Australian Fair Work Act will give workers the formal right to disconnect from all work communication outside their usual work hours.
The main driver for introducing “right to disconnect” laws has been to protect the health and wellbeing of workers in an increasingly hyper-connected world.
But what exactly will the new laws mean for Australian businesses, managers and employees?
Right to disconnect origins
Right to disconnect laws were first introduced in France in 2017 in response to concern about the welfare of workers who were increasingly connected to their workplaces as a result of expanding digital technologies.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Hopkins is an innovation fellow, and associate professor of Management, for Swinburne's School of Business, Law and Entrepreneurship.
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