Striking a better balance: the right to disconnect
The UK's proposed "right to disconnect" law will create clearer work-life boundaries by allowing employees to switch off from work outside of their contracted hours. This legal shift, aimed at combating burnout and poor mental health, could bring substantial benefits for both businesses and employees, boosting productivity, retention, and overall engagement.
Countries like France, Belgium, and Ireland have already implemented similar laws, designed to stem the growing tide of mental health issues linked to the rise of remote working. With the lines between work and personal life increasingly blurred, many employees feel compelled to stay connected around the clock, leading to stress, burnout, and disengagement. According to research by Indeed Flex, the percentage of UK workers experiencing poor mental health has doubled to 37% in the last year, with 58% attributing this to heavier workloads.
A balancing act with a big upside
The financial implications are striking, Deloitte estimates mental health issues cost UK businesses £55 billion annually, a sharp rise from £45 billion in 2019. The right to disconnect could be a critical tool in addressing this, with a framework for rebalancing workloads, protecting well-being, and creating more engaged, productive people.
Implementing the right to disconnect may be challenging for some businesses, especially those that rely on agile, responsive cultures or operate with fewer resources. Lessons can be learnt from Irish businesses who are required to create work-life balance policies and educate employees on maintaining healthy boundaries. It’s about offering clarity and structure, not removing flexibility, allowing employees to disconnect without guilt while ensuring critical work still gets done.
Three steps businesses can take to adapt their culture
- Define core working hours: Establish clear core working hours so people know when they are expected to be available. This sets a baseline for scheduling meetings, setting deadlines, and managing workloads.
- Set out-of-hours communication protocols: Create guidelines for communication outside core working hours. Identify the appropriate channels (e.g., email, messaging apps) and clarify what constitutes urgent contact. This reduces the expectation of constant availability while ensuring priorities are managed.
- Encourage open communication: Set the expectation that leaders and managers maintain open dialogue with their teams to monitor workloads, stress levels, and any emerging bottlenecks. This enhances psychological safety and helps to identify potential challenges before they escalate.
By embracing the right to disconnect, businesses can develop a culture that prioritises the wellbeing of their people by helping them to find the right balance. This can have positive knock-on effects on the performance, resilience, engagement and retention of their greatest asset – their people.
If you’d like to learn more about aligning your company culture with the right to disconnect, please get in touch with us.