A new law giving Australian workers the “right to disconnect” – to refuse contact from their employers outside their working hours (unless that refusal is unreasonable) – comes into effect this month.
The legislation is a response to growing awareness of the health and safety costs of stress and overwork associated with constant connectivity. A number of other countries, including France and Belgium, have also recognised such a right, or are considering doing so.
But New Zealand is not. Its regulation of working time is comparatively rudimentary compared to more comprehensive regulation in other countries, although the Minimum Wage Act limits working time to 40 hours a week unless the parties agree otherwise.
