Apr 21, 2023
Numerous overseas jurisdictions have
implemented “right to disconnect” laws — recognising that
workers should be able to switch off outside of working hours.
What’s the likelihood that we’ll soon see such laws implemented
here?
On this episode of The Lawyers Weekly Show, host Jerome Doraisamy
is joined by barrister Ian Neil SC to discuss what “right to
disconnect” laws are and why they have been implemented in
overseas jurisdictions, how such laws operate overseas, whether the
need to disconnect has been heightened since the age of COVID-19,
and lessons legislators can take from the experiences in other
countries.
Mr Neil also outlines whether there is an appetite for
introducing such laws in Australia (from legislators and
employers alike), whether such rules against contacting staff
outside of hours could even work in the post-pandemic professional
services marketplace, and whether he thinks Australian lawyers will
ever be able to do practice with such laws in place.