Right to Disconnect
Connectivity and work have started going parallel to one another, thus it is not a mere coincidence that it has caused hindrance in every aspect of one’s life. Right to disconnect was the bill proposed in Lok Sabha in 2018 regarding the ability of people to disconnect from work and primarily not to engage in work-related electronic communications such as e-mails or messages during non-work hours. Meanwhile, the pandemic has brought major attention to this subject. The leading tech companies like TCS, Infosys, and Apple has its 98% of their employees continue to work from home. As a matter of fact, Wipro has announced that 75% of its staff will permanently work from home by 2025. But how does working from home/ hybrid work connects with the right to disconnect? Well, the answer is quite simple. Remote/Hybrid working is now the new normal, hence we need a new kind of right to disconnect to shield employees from any repercussions of shutting off. In fact, Ireland's post COVID19 rules are made keeping in mind to preserve the work-life balance of remote learning.
Countries like France, Italy, and Spain also introduced the right to disconnect rule in the last five years to improve the work & tech-life balance of their population. A new counter was also introduced by Portugal termed the right to rest for companies with more than ten employees. The legislation could see companies facing fines if they contact or monitor employees outside their contracted hours.
People working in the private or government sectors of society can relate to such issues to a greater extent. They work continuously in the office from 9 to 5 and then bring the same work to their homes. Such behavior often ends up creating a boundary between an individual and his/ her loved ones. It does not only affects their relationships but also their health. This persistent urge to respond to calls and e-mails, constant checking of devices throughout the day, and even on weekends and holidays, is reported to have destroyed the work-life balance of employees. And it is no fate that India has acquired 136th position in the world happiness report of 2022, as work-life balance is a major determinant.
Finland on the other hand has been rewarded with the first position for the fifth consecutive year. Doesn’t that fascinate you? What is it that they do differently? Well, there is no enacted EU regulation as of now that directly addresses the right to disconnect but they do have laws and articles like 153 and 154 that regulate minimum working hours and rest periods should be respected in order to safeguard workers’ health and safety.
Now, such democratic acts are possible in Finland because it has a population of about 5 million people but India, an enormous nation with a gigantic population of over 1 billion people does not have the capacity to act on laws that are not first put forward by it’s republic in a constitutional form.
Then what is the alternative to this issue? On a personal level, one should make a structural balance and adopt a Digital Wellness lifestyle. They should remember that there is a life that goes beyond office hours and beyond work. Excessive screen time results in anxiety disorders or often weakens your social relations. Therefore, one must choose to live before work. We also need to also tackle this problem from an organization’s Digital Culture level as well. For e.g, If my boss calls me or sends me an email at 9 pm in the night, I would feel bound/obliged to pick it up thereby affecting my balance. We offer personal coaching, consulting & workshops to enable this balance, positive digital culture & healthy tech-life balance. Check it out here
When I spoke to my peers about this bill during one of our group discussion sessions, of which a few had an instant response being, AT WHAT COST? India is still a developing country, a developing economy. So the work attitude among managers or top/bottom workforce’s is very competitive in every factor and hence we are still dependent on the global market. Therefore, this makes it difficult to have a uniform Right to Disconnect work policy all across the nation.
Another aspect of the right to disconnect to keep in mind is that many professionals such as doctors, firemen, and security staff need to be on duty whenever required. They cannot disconnect from society and such a law would stand as a hurdle between them thereby needing a customized introduction to the policy.
Thus, the solution is to tackle this issue from a personal, cultural & customized/tailored Right to disconnect policy enabling better tech-life balance, productivity & health for our citizens.
In conclusion, it is relief to say that India is a nation of great people who restored the balance in a system, society, industry, or politics. It is no doubt that we will soon eradicate such work-related issues as well. But until we do it on a nationwide level, one must begin it on a personal & cultural level. For their welfare, for the community’s welfare, and for the nation’s welfare.
By Aanya Rawat & Rijul Arora
