Australia: right to disconnect comes into force

On 26 August, six months after the enactment of changes to the Fair Work Act, the right to disconnect came into force in Australia. Employees will be legally entitled to refuse to respond when an employer contacts them outside their working hours, unless their refusal is “unreasonable”. This notion is defined by the reason for the attempted contact, the level of inconvenience it causes, and any compensation offered for the employee’s additional availability and working time. The text specifies