Australians allowed to dodge bosses’ phone calls

The new regulation is part of a broader reform of labor laws aimed at improving people’s work-life balance.

Most Australian workers have been granted a legal ‘right to disconnect’ from any work-related communications after hours under a new law, which came into force on Monday.

People employed by businesses with more than 15 workers can now ignore calls, emails, and messages from their bosses, coworkers and customers if contacted after their work day has ended. Small businesses have been given a one-year reprieve, but will be required to comply with the law from August 2025.

While the new law does not outright ban employers from contacting staff outside working hours, it gives workers an enforceable right to ignore work-related communication unless their refusal is considered unreasonable.

In the event of disputes, employers and employees can apply to Australia’s Fair Work Commission (FWC) for mediation. The commission would determine whether the communication request was “reasonable” based on the reason for contact, the nature of the worker’s role, and the compensation offered. It can either order the employer to stop contacting the employee during their off-time, or require the worker to respond, with both facing fines for failing to comply.

The legislation, which is part of a broader reform to Australia’s Fair Work Act, was envisioned as a means of reshaping people’s work-life boundaries and allow for a better balance between the two. According to a Center for Future Work survey conducted last year, an average Australian worker clocked in some 5.4 hours of unpaid overtime per week or 230 hours a year. This cost the country’s workforce roughly Au$131 billion (US$88 billion) in lost income annually.

The new law was first introduced in February this year, and initially had a mixed reception, with the CEOs of Australia’s chambers warning that it could jeopardize business operations and flexible work arrangements. However, Australia’s workers’ unions welcomed the law as “a cost-of-living win,” saying it gave people a way to “reduce the burden of unpaid labor.”

“Today is a historic day for working people,” Michele O’Neil, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), said on Monday.

“The average person does five to six hours of unpaid work every week. Thanks to the introduction of this new law, Australians can now be paid for those hours of work… More money in your pocket, more time with your loved ones, and more freedom to live your life – that’s what the right to disconnect is all about,” she added.

Australia is not the first country to introduce such legislation. France passed a right-to-disconnect law in 2016, while Belgium, Italy and Spain, along with some countries in Latin America, have since adopted similar measures.

Image: Priscilla du Preez