A New York city council member has proposed making it illegal for businesses to contact employees via email or instant messaging out of work hours.
According to Executive Grapevine, the ‘Disconnecting From Work’ bill would apply to employers with 10 or more staff and prevent communication when workers are off duty, on vacation, using personal days or off sick. The penalty for doing so would be a fine of US$250, along with a US$500 payment to the employee.
Council member Rafael Espinal told WCBS: "There's a lot of New Yorkers out there that don't know when their work day begins or when their work day ends, because we're all so tied to our phones. You can still work, you can still talk to your boss, but this just is saying that, when you feel like you've hit your boiling point and you can't do it anymore, you're able to disconnect and decompress for a while."
Similar measures have already been adopted in France, where it is illegal for staff to respond to work correspondence out of working hours. Companies must ensure their employees come under no pressure to look at work-related emails or documents on their devices.
Emma Woollacott is a freelance business journalist. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Guardian, the Times, Forbes and the BBC.
A New York city council member has proposed making it illegal for businesses to contact employees via email or instant messaging out of work hours.
According to Executive Grapevine, the ‘Disconnecting From Work’ bill would apply to employers with 10 or more staff and prevent communication when workers are off duty, on vacation, using personal days or off sick. The penalty for doing so would be a fine of US$250, along with a US$500 payment to the employee.
Council member Rafael Espinal told WCBS: "There's a lot of New Yorkers out there that don't know when their work day begins or when their work day ends, because we're all so tied to our phones. You can still work, you can still talk to your boss, but this just is saying that, when you feel like you've hit your boiling point and you can't do it anymore, you're able to disconnect and decompress for a while."
Similar measures have already been adopted in France, where it is illegal for staff to respond to work correspondence out of working hours. Companies must ensure their employees come under no pressure to look at work-related emails or documents on their devices.
Emma Woollacott is a freelance business journalist. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Guardian, the Times, Forbes and the BBC.
