The right to disconnect has been formally recognized in Belgium. The law comes into force from today according to which Belgian civil servants will no longer be required to respond to e-mails or telephone calls after hours, except for “exceptional” reasons.
I am 65,000 federal officials who, now, will be able to log out without fear of repercussions, at the end of the normal working day. And the government is developing plans to extend this right to private sector employees as well, despite opposition from some business groups.
According to Petra De Sutter, Minister of Public Administration, it is a “necessary” law, precisely to combat the mentality according to which workers feel they must always be available. A perception that was exacerbated during the Covid pandemic, when smartworking became so widespread throughout the population. And which, without the right to disconnect, can lead to “stress and burnout, which are the real disease today», As explained by De Sutter.
The federal government is also considering a proposal for switch to a four day week for full-time staff, with longer working days, but a three-day weekend.
Belgium follows a European trend that was inaugurated by Volkswagen in Germany, which in 2012 decided to ban employees from accessing e-mails after hours, precisely to avoid burnout. Portugal passed a law last year under which employers with more than 10 employees may even face fines if they text or email or phone workers after hours. Furthermore, companies are required to pay the expenses incurred by employees for smartworking. However, the Portuguese parliament rejected the proposal to define the legal right to turn off work devices outside office hours.
Last November, moreover, the European Parliament supported a resolution to ask the European Commission to draft a law, at European level, to protect workers who want to “disconnect”.
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Source: Vanity Fair
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