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.