The new government is expected to introduce a "right to switch off" in the Autumn as part of a package of workers rights
One by-product of the Covid-19 pandemic was a rapid acceleration of technological activity which increased the numbers of people working from home — often referred to by the acronym — “WFH”.
According to data from NatWest Premier (The Times, 21 August 2024), an increased number of people are working from holiday — adding a new meaning to the acronym, “WFH”.
The survey of 2,000 respondents found that even with “out of office” email notifications on, 42% were still working while on holiday with the number rising to 66% amongst those earning more than £100,000 a year.
The amount of time worked during holiday varied according to income, but the most well renumerated worked for almost 3 days out of every 7 days, taken as annual leave — principally respondents said to stay on top of their workload and reduce stress on their return. The study also found that less than half of men and 61 % of women took their full annual leave entitlement.
In attempt to ensure that employers are not inadvertently blurring the lines between their work and home life, the new Government is expected to introduce a “right to switch off” in the Autumn as part of a package of workers rights to help prevent employees who are constantly bothered by employers outside their working hours. This is likely to lead to a Code of Practice agreed between employees and employers of expectations when staff should expect to be contacted.
For guidance on the 'right to switch off', contact our employment solicitors.
