Photo:
Rick Blyth
Downing Street has stated that the ability to turn off electronic devices when not in use is crucial to productivity and has the potential to increase economic growth in the UK.
Home offices shouldn’t feel like “24/7 offices” anymore, thanks to a “right to switch off” that the government is planning to implement.
Ministers are looking at examples in countries like Ireland and Belgium, where employees have the “right to disconnect” and aren’t constantly called by their bosses or forced to work extra hours.
“This is about ensuring people have some time to rest,” stated the deputy spokesperson for the prime minister.
“Good employers understand that for workers to stay motivated and productive, they do need to be able to switch off, and a culture of presenteeism can be damaging to productivity.”
Experts agree that raising productivity—the quantity of work done in a given period of time—is crucial to raising salaries and improving people’s standard of living.
“We’re not inadvertently blurring the lines between work and home life” was the goal, according to the prime minister’s deputy spokesman.
“It’s obviously one of the central missions of the government to support growth, and we know that productivity is vital to growth,” according to her.
“It’s about making sure we have the right balance between making the most of the flexible working practices that we saw following the pandemic and also having appropriate arrangements in place to ensure that people can stay productive in light of that.”
The designs were designed to accommodate diverse firms and individuals with different jobs, rather than being a “one size fits all” solution, she added.
A “right to disconnect” policy outlining the conditions under which employees can be reached outside of normal business hours was implemented as part of a Code of Practice in Ireland, which mandates that companies consult with unions and workers on the matter.
Companies in Belgium are required to have agreements regarding the right to disconnect in place for any company with 20 or more employees.
Included in Labor’s “New Deal for Working People” amendments to workers’ rights is the concept of a right to shut off.
If an employer violates an employee’s terms of employment, the employee may be allowed to sue the employer before a tribunal.
Among the many potentially annoying aspects of this situation is the practice of routinely calling an employee outside of their designated work hours.
Contrary to what you may expect from contracts, government sources have pointed out that various industries have different needs.
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