Workers should be given the right to disconnect after home work, says Labour
Workers should have a right to disconnect from work at the end of the day to ensure homes do not become round-the-clock offices, Labour has said, as well as a right to work flexibly.
Workers should be able to switch off at the end of the day, meaning having a reasonable expectation of not having to work or check calls and emails outside their normal hours, according to Labour.
Workers must also be given a right to do their jobs from home, and the government’s consultation on the matter must not be kicked into the long grass, the party added.
Ministers have reportedly proposed legal changes that would prevent employers from forcing staff to come into the office unless they can prove it is essential.
The government will consult on the plan over the summer ahead of possible legislation later this year, the Mail reported.
The government has shot down the reports, and Boris Johnson is understood to be keen to get people back into office.
Deputy leader Angela Rayner told the Guardian: “As restrictions lift and we adjust to a ‘new normal’, we need a new deal for working people. As a starting point, this must mean the right to flexible working – not just the right to ask for flexibility – and a duty on employers to accommodate this unless there is a reason a certain job can’t be done flexibly.
“It is clear that the government won’t act to strengthen rights for working people, and we cannot have a drawn-out consultation process that simply kicks this urgent issue into the long grass, leaving workers in a vulnerable position and allowing employers to dictate terms to their staff.”
A government spokesperson said: “The 2019 manifesto contains a clear commitment to consulting on making flexible working the default, unless employers have good reasons not to.
“Ensuring workers have a work-life balance is extremely important, and we have reconvened the Flexible Working Taskforce to better understand and promote flexible working.”