Code Of Practice Establishes Right To Disconnect

No, it wasn't an April Fool joke. From yesterday, employees have the right to disconnect from work courtesy of the government's new code of practice.

The code gives employees the right to switch off from work outside normal working hours, including the right not to respond immediately to emails, telephone calls or other messages. 

Three rights are enshrined in the code that came into effect on April 1:

• The right of an employee not to have to routinely perform work outside their normal working hours
• The right not to be penalised for refusing to attend to work matters outside of normal working hours
• The duty to respect another person's right to disconnect (for example, by not routinely emailing or calling outside normal working hours).