Australia's right to disconnect from work: Beyond rhetoric and towards implementation

Abstract

Amendments to the Fair Work Act now allow workers in Australia a right to disconnect. The implementation of this right precipitated a polarised public debate that was not consistently evidence-based, encompassing the often-contradictory perspectives of unions, employers, business lobbies and politicians. This study offers a more nuanced and evidence-based understanding of the right to disconnect, its benefits and challenges and the possible impact on Australian employment practices and relations. It provides an international comparative analysis; it explores the literature on related topics such as work–life balance, occupational stress, management practices and productivity; and it proposes a model of the consequences of technology-enabled flexible work. The comparative analysis and literature review are supplemented with themes identified in Australian media coverage through a Leximancer analysis. The findings discuss the advantages and limitations of diverse top-down legislative or self-regulatory pathways experienced overseas by early adopters. While the right to disconnect can improve work–life balance, health and well-being and productivity, its implementation requires careful consideration of industry-specific contexts, clear policies and cultural shifts in workplaces to mitigate the risks associated with hyperconnectivity. These insights are useful for Australia as it enters the implementation phase of the right to disconnect.