Australia's 'right to disconnect' law set to come into force

So they won't be reading the e-mails that say 'Don't come in to work tomorrow. A pipe burst.'

Good! tools down should mean tools down!

A type of law that Japan would never enact…

Some jobs do require employees to be on call after regular work hours and be connected like doctors and emergency service workers but the vast majority of people don't.

This is a good law and I hope it spreads here to Japan. I know a lot of stressed out people who are often being contacted by their workplaces during their days off or after work.

I disconnected before the creation of the internet.

Phone off hook....I'm going surfing.

Unless you're a trauma surgeon or such like, there's no problem that cant wait until tomorrow.

The problem is the employee got the "right to disconnect" but it will come with a hidden hand of the employer to fire.

I didn't need anyone to pass a law to disconnect. When I worked nights for a FedEx terminal the terminal manager had a bad habit (aside from a really bad temper) of calling people at home, waking them up so he could scream at them on the phone. Well after a couple of times of that I didn't need an act of Congress to figure out just answer the phone until you are up, showered and dressed and ready to go to work.

I didn't need anyone to pass a law to disconnect.

Some people do - unscrupulous bosses will not let some employees rest, and expect them to always be on call.

This mostly goes away when that costs them money.

The problem is the employee got the "right to disconnect" but it will come with a hidden hand of the employer to fire.

A good employer won't have a problem with this. We literally never have anyone on call. Through proper planning and management, and my and my partner's willingness to step in when needed, as well as scheduling people in different time zones, there is never any reason to contact employees outside work hours. Of course, there will sometimes be emergencies, and some situations in some jobs just necessitate someone being on call outside work hours regardless of planning. But most properly run businesses can figure out how to run the business just fine without employees being on call, and the employees are more engaged at work when they're allowed to be away from it at other times.

I had a job where I was "on call" 24/7/365 for 2 yrs. I wasn't allowed to leave the city for any reason. Couldn't travel for holidays to be with family. It sucked.

Since having that job, I completely disconnect from work at the end of the day, unless it is something pre-planned and REALLY important. If I work extra hours, then I'll use "flex time" to get those hours back in the next few days-weeks. Once a boss asked me to work many more hours and suggested he'd pay for the time. I suggested that I'd like to reduce my hours 20% or more and that it wasn't about money anymore. I wanted to time off to do other things. He was a bit shocked. Being highly skilled allows more of a two-way discussion about job conditions.