The Right to Disconnect is once again in the limelight. The government is pushing the introduction of the measure, which last year the Australian Services Union (ASU) called to embed into the Fair Work Act.
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The Right to Disconnect is a legal measure that prevents employers from contacting employees outside designated working hours, allowing workers to properly disengage and take control of their work-life balance. While lacking at a national level in Australia, it's been added to the Victoria Police Enterprise Agreement and formally implemented in France and Spain.
There's a warranted cry to correct the blurring of personal and professional spaces that was compounded by remote work at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing skills and resource shortages.
A survey by the ASU found seven in 10 clerical and administrative workers currently work outside their agreed hours. At the same time, the mixture of burnout and financial stress has seen employee wellbeing slide to an all-time low.
However, there are concerns a set 'log off' time will impede the flexibility workers have come to enjoy in the modern environment. Working parents, for instance, enjoy the ability to do the school run uninterrupted and log back on later to catch up on tasks.
This begs the question about whether the solution lies in a universal mandate or a more tailored approach.
It's essential to note that while digitisation is frequently blamed for the 'always on' culture, it shouldn't shoulder the responsibility entirely.
There is an undeniable upside to our digital connectivity - it enables flexible work schedules, eliminates the need for daily commutes, and allows businesses to operate on a global scale with geographically dispersed teams. This is key given a record number of Australians have migrated to the regions in recent years.
Challenges arise when this flexibility crosses over to intrusion, leading to burnout and concerns over wellbeing. It's a workplace policy problem.
Employees shouldn't dread the next email notification on their phone during dinner with their families, or while de-compressing in a yoga class. At the same time, businesses shouldn't be forced into a rigid, one-size-fits-all business model that runs contrary to the flexible, 24-hour economy.
To balance the scales between both sets of requirements, businesses must be proactive in leveraging digital tools to establish workplaces that are equally productive and accommodating of a flexible workforce.
Rather than expecting virtual meeting and chat rooms to tick the collaboration box, companies have a largely untapped opportunity to empower staff with automated systems, AI, and machine learning to handle routine tasks. This ensures employees aren't left overwhelmed by repetitive responsibilities or manual data entry, and can instead divert their skills to strategic objectives and high-value projects that bring greater benefit to the business, its stakeholders, and customers.
Leaders should also avoid deploying multiple apps for staff to do their jobs. Not only does this lead to application overload and burnout, but it often results in them reverting to unsophisticated workarounds to get their jobs done. The knowledge exchanged through these apps invariably leaves the business when turnover occurs, and already time-poor employees are forced to train even more to get up to speed.
By streamlining the tools used and ensuring that they are intuitive and comprehensive, we can provide flexibility without compromising efficiency, or the nation's productivity.
Business leaders should also be harnessing data analytics to gain insights into individual employee needs - and crucially, not as a means to spy on their teams. By giving employees the agency to determine their availability through presence indicators or similar tools, we are respecting their personal boundaries while also ensuring productivity. This approach recognises employees are not just numbers on a payroll but individuals with unique personal and professional circumstances.
By taking this approach, organisations will also align with the preferences of the workforce.
Many Australians have said they want to continue flexible work arrangements, with a study finding 70 per cent working from home want to continue with the arrangement.
By giving staff control over their personal and professional boundaries, and equipping them with the right resources to get their jobs done, organisations have their best shot at retaining talent.
This is a key concern as skills shortages persist across a range of sectors and employees are leaving workplaces unprepared to meet their needs. For example, almost a third of respondents to a recent survey said at least one employee had quit their workplace in direct response to return-to-office mandates.
The recent support for an enforceable right to disconnect reflects the larger mood of the country. While the intent is noble, a more consistent approach is required, allowing for a hybrid work model where employees can set their schedules, disconnect when needed, and have access to the right tools to get their jobs done.
Australian businesses and policymakers must collaborate to find a middle ground that respects personal boundaries without stifling the advantages we've come to enjoy.
The Right to Disconnect requires a nuanced approach
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22.03.2024
The Right to Disconnect is once again in the limelight. The government is pushing the introduction of the measure, which last year the Australian Services Union (ASU) called to embed into the Fair Work Act.
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Login or signup to continue reading
The Right to Disconnect is a legal measure that prevents employers from contacting employees outside designated working hours, allowing workers to properly disengage and take control of their work-life balance. While lacking at a national level in Australia, it's been added to the Victoria Police Enterprise Agreement and formally implemented in France and Spain.
There's a warranted cry to correct the blurring of personal and professional spaces that was compounded by remote work at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing skills and resource shortages.
A survey by the ASU found seven in 10 clerical and administrative workers currently work outside their agreed hours. At the same time, the mixture of burnout and financial stress has seen employee wellbeing slide to an all-time low.
However, there are concerns a set 'log off' time will impede the flexibility workers have come to enjoy in the modern environment. Working parents, for instance, enjoy the ability to do the school run uninterrupted and log back on later to catch up on........
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