“Right to disconnect” rules have come into force in Australia, offering relief to people who feel forced to answer calls or read messages from their employer after finishing their work day.
The new law allows employees to choose to ignore after-hours communications without fear of being punished by their superiors.
A study published last year estimated that Australians work an average of 281 hours of unpaid overtime per year.
Similar rules have been enacted in more than 20 countries, mostly in Europe and Latin America.
The law does not prohibit employers from contacting employees outside of working hours.
Instead, it gives staff the right not to respond, unless the refusal is deemed unreasonable.
Under the rules, employers and employees must try to resolve disputes among themselves, and if no resolution can be found, Australia’s Fair Work Commission (FWC) will intervene.
The FWC can then order the employer to cease contacting the employee outside of working hours.
If the court determines that the employee’s refusal to respond is unreasonable, it may order them to respond.
Failure to comply with an FWC order could result in fines of up to A$19,000 (US$12,897; £9,762) for employees and up to A$94,000 for businesses.
Workers’ groups have welcomed the move.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions said it would “empower workers to refuse unreasonable out-of-hours contact and enable greater work-life balance.”
Workplace experts told BBC News the new rules would also be useful for employers.
“Organisations with staff who are better rested and have a better work-life balance will be less likely to take sick leave and less likely to leave the organisation,” said John Hopkins, from Swinburne University of Technology.
“What benefits the employee also benefits the employer.”
However, employees had mixed reactions to the new law.
“I actually think it’s very important that laws like this exist,” Rachel Abdelnour, who works in advertising, told Reuters.
“We spend so much of our day connected to our phones and emails that it can be really hard to switch off in the current situation.”
But some people aren’t convinced the new rules will make a big difference to them.
“I think it’s a great idea and I hope it catches on, but to be honest with you, I don’t think it will catch on in our industry,” David Brennan, who works in the finance industry, told the news agency.
“We are well paid, we are expected to deliver, and we feel we have to deliver around the clock.”
