New survey finds 3 in 4 Australian employers support new legislation
A new poll from Indeed has revealed that 74% of employers in Australia support the new "right to disconnect" legislation despite grey areas in the law.
The new rule permits employees to refuse out-of-hours contact from their employer unless that refusal is unreasonable.
Employers in Indeed's poll believe that the following reasons warrant after-hours contact:
- Urgent project deadlines (55%)
- Correcting an error (42%)
- Personal matters (32%)
Fears on 'right to disconnect'
Employers' widespread support for the right to disconnect comes as 81% acknowledge that they risk losing top talent if they fail to respect employees' work boundaries.
But 47% are also wary that committing to the new legislation could lead to a drop in employee productivity, according to a new report.
As a result, 55% of employers surveyed said they were willing to pay an employee more in order to make after-hours contact, with the numbers rising to 71% for companies with 100 to 249 employees.
"Leaders and their teams should discuss and agree upon what constitutes reasonable after-hours contact, and if or when it should be compensated," said Amanda Gordon, Workplace Psychologist at Indeed, in a statement.
"If everyone is on the same page regarding what is deemed 'urgent' and warrants contact, the legislation will serve them well."
After-hours contact continues
Meanwhile, the report also found that employers' fears of losing top talent are warranted - as 35% of employees said they would consider quitting if their right to disconnect is not respected.
This is already happening for many employees, as 65% said they have been contacted during personal and annual leave, as well as during public holidays.
To address issues regarding after-hours contact, employees said there should be:
- Clear communication guidelines (60%)
- Clear work hours policy (55%)
- Emergency protocols in place (46%)
"Regular out-of-hours contact can be very disruptive on employee downtime, health, and wellbeing. Having a boss who respects your non-work life has moved from being a nicety to a necessity," Gordon said.
"While there's still a lot of grey area surrounding Australia's new Right to Disconnect legislation, it's a positive step towards re-establishing work-life balance."
