The Daily Populous Friday July 19th, 2024 day edition
Authored by inews.co.uk and submitted by NeverEndingDClock

Workers would be able to ignore emails outside office hours under new guidance for employers to be introduced by Labour.

Sir Keir Starmer’s Government is to push ahead with an election campaign pledge to give staff the “right to switch off” and decline WhatsApp messages, emails and phone calls from their bosses or take on extra work in evenings and at weekends.

It is also expected to cover workers’ annual leave, meaning that bosses would be unable to contact their staff while on holiday.

The measure would not be mandatory for firms and not contained as part of the new Employment Rights Bill which will be introduced to parliament within the first 100 days, but is expected to be recommended in codes of practice for workplaces.

It is part of a wider package of new rights, overseen by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, that the Government wants to implement to change the culture of the workplace and help boost economic growth, the Starmer Government’s key priority.

Alongside a new automatic right for flexible working, unveiled in the King’s Speech on Wednesday, the right to switch off is seen as crucial to improve workers’ productivity.

As with flexible working, there would be exemptions in certain sectors or posts for the right to switch off.

Union bosses have welcomed the measure, with TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak saying: “No one should be pushed to the brink because of their job.

“Ever increasing hours, pace and expectations at work are causing problems up and down the country. This is a recipe for burnt-out Britain.

“So we welcome these measures to tackle work intensity. Introducing a right to switch off will let workers properly disconnect outside of working hours.”

The Government’s blueprint for the reforms is Labour’s Plan To Make Work Pay, published at the start of the election campaign in May.

That document acknowledged that increased working from home since the pandemic had blurred the lines between work and home life and had risked households “turning into 24/7 offices”.

Ministers are planning to model the right to switch off on those already in place in Ireland and Belgium.

In Ireland, the right to switch off is not compulsory but is widely recognised under codes of practices. It includes a right not to be penalised by employers for refusing to take calls, respond to emails or be expected to finish projects outside of office hours.

While it is not legally binding, it can be used to bolster employees’ cases for unfair dismissal or other complaints against their employers.

In Belgium the right to switch off is enshrined in legislation but applies to public sector employees and those in the private sector who work for firms that employ 20 people or more, meaning small businesses are exempt from the laws.

The Plan To Make Work Pay says workers and employers should be given “the opportunity to have constructive conversations and work together on bespoke workplace policies or contractual terms that benefit both parties”.

A poll by Savanta in May found that the “right to switch off” was supported by 69 per cent of voters, making it the most popular of Labour’s workers’ rights plans.

The measure is supported by the unions but is likely to face some resistance from businesses, particularly those with smaller workforces who could face higher costs from extra red tape.

Meanwhile, new statutory rights for employees to have flexible working are expected to be in place by next spring.

The measures, under the Employment Rights Bill, will be introduced to parliament before the end of October. It typically takes between four to five months for a government bill to get onto the statute book, meaning the rights would be in place by February or March 2025.

Previous research by the TUC has shown that flexible working patterns improve productivity, particularly among working parents.

Some 92 per cent of mothers who worked flexible hours told a survey for the TUC in 2021 that they would find it difficult or impossible to do their job without it.

Vegan_Harvest on July 19th, 2024 at 03:54 UTC »

I assumed I had that right anyway and never checked my work email at home.

CashFlowOrBust on July 19th, 2024 at 02:56 UTC »

You guys are answering emails after hours?

Jak_ratz on July 19th, 2024 at 02:06 UTC »

*in England.

I'm happy for them, I really am.