Starting August 26, 2024, employees in Australia will have a new legal right to disconnect from work-related contact outside of working hours. Under Section 333M of the Fair Work Act 2009, employees can refuse to respond to after-hours messages from employers. This change is aimed at improving work-life balance. Learn how these new rights will impact your organisation.

As remote work becomes increasingly prevalent, the boundaries between home and work life have become more fluid. With many employees finding themselves engaged in work tasks outside of traditional office hours, the need for clear guidelines regarding work-life balance has never been more pressing. Read more about what you need to know.

The right to disconnect, introduced through the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes No.2) Bill 2023, grants Australian employees the entitlement to ignore work-related communication outside of working hours, except when deemed unreasonable. This amendment seeks to balance work-life boundaries by allowing employees to disengage after work hours, unless specific criteria for reasonableness are met.