SYLLABUS

GS-2: Parliament and State Legislatures' structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.

Context: Recently, a private bill, Right to Disconnect 2025, was introduced in the Lok Sabha to legally protect employees from work pressure outside office hours.

More on the News

• The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha for the second time after her first attempt in 2019.

• The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025 which seeks limits on work hours and mental-health safeguards was also introduced in Lok Sabha.

• The Bills draw attention to changing work culture in a hyper-connected environment where employees face rising pressure to remain available beyond official working hours.

• Internationally, countries such as France, Portugal and Australia already recognise the right to disconnect through legal provisions.

• France was the first country to formally enact a "right to disconnect" law in 2017.

• This legislative effort faces challenges because Private Members’ Bills rarely become law, with only fourteen passed since independence.

Key Features of Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025

• The Bill recognises the right of employees to disconnect from work-related calls and emails after official working hours.

• Workers can decline responses to non-emergency communications, promoting healthier work-life balance. 

• The Bill mandates the creation of an Employees’ Welfare Authority to enforce the right to disconnect.

• This Authority shall conduct a baseline study to assess how workers use digital and communication tools outside working hours.
• This Authority shall direct companies with more than ten workers to negotiate terms for work done beyond official hours.

• The Bill requires that employees who work beyond official hours receive overtime at the normal wage rate.

• The proposal directs the government to provide counselling services that help employees maintain work-life balance.

• The proposal also requires the government to establish digital detox centres for employees.

• The Bill introduces a penalty equal to one percent of the total remuneration of employees for companies that do not comply.

Background of the Issue

• This issue gained attention due to rising stress, sleep deprivation and burnout linked to constant digital connectivity.

• This concern is supported by global reports that highlight “telepressure,” which is the compulsion to constantly check and respond to messages.

• This condition often leads to declining work-life balance and increasing emotional exhaustion among employees.

• This debate also relates to earlier efforts such as the Kerala Right to Disconnect Bill proposed in 2025.

Source:

Indianexpress
Timesofindia
Economictimes