Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025
The Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025, introduced in the Lok Sabha as a Private Member’s Bill, seeks to give employees a legal right to disengage from work-related communication (calls, messages, emails) after official hours and on holidays. It covers both remote and office-based workers and aims to restore work–life balance in an “always-on” digital work culture.
The Bill obligates employers to frame a written policy specifying official working hours, acceptable modes of after-hours contact, and clear emergency protocols. Employees would enjoy protection from adverse action for refusing to respond outside working hours; such refusal becomes a legally protected action, covering promotion, appraisal, and termination.
The Bill proposes an Employees’ Welfare Authority to receive complaints, monitor compliance, inspect employers’ records, and issue remedial orders. Employers must maintain logs of after-hours contact (date, time, reason, consent status), available for inspection. Financial penalties are prescribed (e.g., 1% of total remuneration per contravention) to create deterrence.
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