Is Your Boss Texting You on the Weekend?

A new Australian rule, which went into effect on Aug. 26, allows employees to ignore out-of-work hour emails and text messages from employers. For example, employees cannot be punished for refusing to read or respond to late night emails or text messages on vacation.

Supporters said the “right to disconnect” law gives employees the right to ignore the invasion of their personal lives by work emails, texts, and calls, a trend that has accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic blurred the division between home and work, Reuters reported. The Australian law adds the country to a list of about two dozen countries, mostly in Europe and Latin America, which have similar laws.

To cater for emergencies and jobs with irregular hours, the Australian rule still allows employers to contact their workers, who can only refuse to respond where it is reasonable to do so.

Inspired by Australia, a San Francisco assemblyman proposed legislation earlier this year that would grant workers the right to disconnect outside of work, with violations punishable by fine. NPR reported it would make California the first state in the country to do so, but the bill was criticized by business groups and shelved in committee this spring.