Australian Right-to-Disconnect Laws Come Into Effect

Workers who receive calls or emails from their boss during annual leave, late at night or while cooking dinner for their young family will have the right to ignore them until they clock back on. Australians can refuse to monitor, read or respond to work communication outside of paid hours unless doing so is unreasonable, when the country’s right-to-disconnect laws come into effect from Aug. 26. They are meant to ensure employees are paid for every hour they work, instead of the average 5.4 hours a week they currently perform without pay according to the Australia Institute. The laws have sparked fierce political debate from unions, business groups and other advocates, with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton vowing to overturn them if elected....