As nice as it is to live in the digital age, basking in its never ending stream of information and communication can get a little overwhelming at times. We like to be plugged in on our downtime, but by being plugged in, we can’t completely escape from our work lives. As companies evolve with tech, it’s getting harder to actually get away from work at five o’clock. This is where the “Right to Disconnect” comes in.
Introduced by the French government last year, the Right to Disconnect is a series of laws that, in concise terms, keep employees from being punished for ignoring work correspondence after-hours. Any company with more than 50 employees cannot send messages outside of work, or if they do, they can’t expect them to be read and responded to. It’s a voluntary program, not to encourage irresponsibility, but merely to ensure workers can maintain a better balance between life and work.
Canada is the latest country to begin talks on these laws, with the current Prime Minister and liberal party interested in getting them written up and passed as soon as possible.
