Urgent Business Needs V. Employee’s Right to Disconnect: The Remote Work conundrum
Of all the rights of employees, the right to disconnect is perhaps the least talked about employee rights around the world.
This is not unrelated to the realities of modern-day capitalism where companies have to push the limits to ensure that they provide their customers or clients with the best products and services in the market or risk losing them to competitors.
Also, technological advancement of work place digital tools have made work more efficient and flexible. It is noteworthy that although these digital tools have helped many businesses remain operational during the pandemic, albeit remotely, they have also created an absence of limits, leading to excessive interference in the private lives of employees thereby shrinking the boundary between work life and home life.
The right to disconnect is a proposed human right regarding the ability of employees to disconnect from work and primarily not engage in work-related electronic communications such as e-mails or messages during non-work hours. This is to prevent overworking as well as afford employees the time to enjoy other pleasures of life.