Workers globally demand ‘Right to Disconnect’ after work

While pandemic has brought a lot of disruption in everyday lives, the workplaces have witnessed some substantial changes globally. The work culture has changed with brining in more awareness about worker rights across strata. Catching the pulse, Portugal recently banned communication from employer to employee after working hours a crime, not adhering to which could result in legal fines. Soon many countries followed suit and passed similar laws. Now workers across the world are demanding their governments and employers to bring in this approach.

Employees have called out for better work life balance, and demanded penalties on being contacted in any form after working hours. A new research conducted by SkyNova has revealed nearly 63.3 per cent of global workforce demanding a law to be passed in same lines.

It was found that about 26.4 per cent of employees claim that they have been contacted by seniors at work beyond work hours more than once in a week. “Fewer than 7 per cent of those who had been contacted outside of work were able to say that they rarely or never answered, and more than 84 per cent said these after-work calls led to doing more work,” the research found.

The research also divulged the fines sought by employees on being contacted by employers after hours if such law is approved. About 45 per cent of employees said they wanted to be paid for the communication and work after hours while 39.5 per cent wanted the employer to be reprimanded if they break the law.

The SkyNova research further has listed down reasons that push employees to respond to being contacted after regular working hours.

• Flexible schedule (46.2 per cent)
• Provide co-workers with extra support (42.7 per cent)
• Expected by bosses or employers (38.4 per cent)
• Make a good impression on authorities (37.5 per cent)
• Likes to work when no one else is working (33.4 per cent)
• Too much work to complete within regular hours (33.2 per cent)
• Job does not have typical work hours (15 per cent)

The changing dynamics of how the workplaces now operate with increasingly blurring lines between work and life balance, a 90.4 per cent of people seeking jobs now want to know from sought out employers their policies around after work communication. This is a depiction of highly revolutionized work culture globally wherein the worker is not holding back from demanding his rights.