Giving workers right to switch off could boost economy – No 10

Giving workers the “right to switch off” is key to productivity and could boost economic growth, Downing Street said.

Labour has promised to give employees the right to ignore work-related calls and emails out of hours, so homes do not become “24/7 offices”.

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Ministers are looking at models in other countries where there is already a right to disconnect, such as Ireland and Belgium.

The prime minister’s spokesperson today said the plan was about making sure “we’re not inadvertently blurring the lines between work and home life”.

She said: “The purpose behind this is ensuring that employees and businesses have the right arrangements in place to ensure that they can be productive.

“One of the central missions of the government is for growth and we know that productivity is vital to growth.”

The plans were not a “one size fits all” and would recognise companies vary and people have different roles, she added.

In Ireland, a Code of Practice was developed in consultation with trade unions in 2021 – it requires employers to engage with staff on a “right to disconnect” company policy, setting out the circumstances when people can be contacted out of normal working hours.

The code is not legally binding in itself but can be used in evidence against employers in claims for breach of employment rights.

In Belgium, the right to disconnect is backed by legislation and only applies to companies with more than 20 employees.

The idea has grown more popular since the pandemic, which ushered in flexible working practices on the one hand but also made the line between home life and working hours more unclear.

However, countries such as France and Spain have had rules in place for years, with France giving employees the legal right to avoid emails outside working hours back in 2017.

Labour proposed the “right to switch off” as part of its “New Deal for Working People” – a package of measures aimed at strengthening workers’ rights and boosting economic growth.

The deal, promised in the election manifesto, said the “right to switch off” would give workers and employers to chance to have “constructive conversations and work together on bespoke workplace policies or contractual terms that benefit both parties”.

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There have been reports that under the plan, employees could be able to take their bosses to a tribunal if conditions of employment are breached – including consistently contacting an employee after agreed working hours – entitling them to larger compensation pay-outs.

A government source told Sky News that the details of what “right to switch off” policies would look like were still being worked out and “it has to be something that businesses and their workforce agree among themselves rather than a diktat”.

“We’re conscious of the disproportionate impacts of these sort of policies on smaller businesses, that will factor in to how we draft it,” they said.