Off Hours
BELGIUM
Belgium enacted a “right to disconnect” law Tuesday that would give the country’s civil servants the legal right to ignore work-related calls and emails, the latest European country to implement legislation to protect leisure time, the Independent reported.
Under the new bill, about 65,000 federal workers can make themselves unavailable at the end of the normal working day and disconnect from work unless there are “exceptional and unforeseen circumstances.”
It adds that workers “should not be disadvantaged by not answering the phone or reading work-related messages outside normal working hours.”
Minister of Public Administration Petra De Sutter said the law was pivotal in combatting “excessive work stress and burnout” among federal civil servants.
The Belgian government is also considering expanding the legislation to private-sector workers and is reviewing proposals to shorten the workweek to four days for full-time staff.
The “right to disconnect” has been a growing phenomenon in Europe over the past five years but has gained more traction because of the pandemic.
In 2012, German carmaker Volkswagen banned certain employees from answering emails after work hours to avoid stress. Last year, Portugal approved a series of laws that prevent employers from contacting remote workers after hours in companies that have more than 10 employees.
Spain, Greece and Ireland are also considering similar measures.
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