Work-life balance wins as Australia embraces “right to disconnect” legislation | Some exceptions are made for emergencies and when communication is legally required

From the article: Australia’s Fair Work Commission announced a government-mandated “right to disconnect.” Workers can now ignore after-hours work-related contact “within reason.” It aims to strike a fair balance between work and life and ensure employers do not take advantage of workers who feel obligated to perform duties without pay.

Lawmakers passed the new rule in February, but it only kicked in on Monday for employees of large enterprises. Small businesses have until August 2025 before it affects them.

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) says the rule does not ban employers from contacting workers. Instead, it gives people the right to put off or disconnect any contact with their bosses or coworkers while off work.

“It’s really about trying to bring back some work-life balance and make sure that people aren’t racking up hours of unpaid overtime for checking emails and responding to things at a time when they’re not being paid,” said Australia’s Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Murray Watt.