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Comments on Government's plans to introduce a 'Right to Switch Off'

ended 21. August 2024

Hi, a journalist on the Daily Mail is writing a story on the government's plans to introduce a right to switch off, establishing a barrier between workers’ professional and home lives. The policy would see employees and employers agree to an expected set of hours during which they can be contacted.

The journalist would like to hear from people who welcome the ability to switch off, or people who already do. Give us your views in this thread - and let us know if you're happy for the journalist to contact you.

5 responses from the Newspage community

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Michelle Lawson
Director at Lawson Financial
This shouldn't need to be written down and should be plain common sense which seems to now be void of most people. Sometimes these things are unavoidable if urgent and this all comes down to a bit of give and take. As a business owner, I sometimes contact people because it suits my times, I do not expect a response if it is outside of working hours or they are on leave, it is merely to task something off for me. If somebody wants to do respond out of their hours, that is up to them. Nobody forces people to answer phones and emails, it is now just habitual that people have their phones with them all of the time.
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Dariusz Karpowicz
Director at Albion Financial Advice
Finding the right balance is key here – while it's great to have set hours for work-life boundaries, there will always be moments when a quick question needs to be answered in under a minute. Banning all after-hours communication feels a bit extreme. Should we also impose a rule where employees have no contact with the outside world while they're at work? A sensible approach is needed – one that respects personal time but acknowledges that some flexibility might be necessary.
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Stephen Perkins
Managing Director at Yellow Brick Mortgages
The right to switch off, like much legislation is needed to stop the bad practices of the few, such as employers who hound and harrass their staff outside of working hours, but will also make it very hard for respectful businesses to operate effectively. Sometimes to ensure they have enough staff to cover shifts employers need to contact those off duty to ask or offer overtime. The devil will be in the detail as to where the balance between employee's rights and employer's commercial needs is struck with this policy.
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Jenny Blyth
Small business owner at Storm in a Teacup Gifts
A switch off time is a fascinating idea and I think one that would be exceptionally welcome.
We live in a world where we are contactable 24/7
In so many ways and it’s becoming harder and harder to ‘switch off’.
I think there are always exceptions to the rule but the mental health of the nation would absolutely be benefit from this and I think it could be life changing.
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Graham Wells
Founder and Financial Coach at GroWiser Financial Coaching
Employees should have the right to switch off without the anxiety that can be caused by emails and messages, no matter how well-intentioned or innocent. But I do wonder if expensive legislation, rules and regulations are needed to achieve this. In practice, laws around this could be difficult to enforce and it won't be suitable for all types of business (or employees). A clear separation between work and home life can have its advantages, but I'm seeing more of a shift towards 'work-life blending'. This more flexible approach to work and life seems like a more grown-up approach, rather than forcing more bureaucracy on businesses. (More thoughts on work-life blending here: https://growiser.coach/the-rise-of-work-life-blending-and-the-joy-of-finding-purpose/)