The new deal for working people - The Right to Switch

These have offered a range of benefits to workers, but have also eroded the boundary between work and home life.2 In In response, the response, the government has pledged to implement a ‘Right government has pledged to Switch Off’, which would permit workers to disconnect to implement a ‘Right from their jobs, in particular contact with their employers, at to Switch Off’, which the end of the work. [...] In the main document outlining the NDFWP, the party promises to emulate similar models to those implemented already in Ireland and Belgium, ‘giving workers and employers the opportunity to have constructive conversations and work together on bespoke workplace policies or contractual terms that benefit both parties.’3 1 The Autonomy Institute (2021) ‘The Right to Disconnect). [...] The problem, however, is that giving employers the power to decide the terms of the policy will in many cases dilute the potential benefits for workers and the scale of its implementation. [...] It would enshrine: i) The right of an employee to not routinely perform work outside normal working hours; ii) The right to not be penalised for refusing to attend to work matters outside of normal working hours; iii) The duty to respect another person’s right to disconnect (e.g. [...] The exemptions are that- (i) The employer can show that- • The nature of the industry in which the worker is engaged is such that it would not be feasible for employers to comply with the prohibitions contained in sub-sections (2) (3) and (4); and 15 The Autonomy Institute 2024 • The employer has taken all reasonable steps to minimise any requirement that his workers should monitor or respond to a.