Australia’s disconnect law sends work-life reminder
Australian legislation allowing an employee to ignore calls and emails outside working hours may not be practical in a city such as Hong Kong
Australia is far from the first or only country to protect an employee’s right to disengage from their bosses outside working hours. But a new law there allowing employees to ignore calls and emails has sparked debate in other places – including Hong Kong.
The local discussion goes to the heart of what has worked best for this city – flexibility. Hong Kong is a global financial and trade centre – most importantly a bridge to the mainland’s vast economy – which operates across time zones 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Prompt communication around the clock with overseas parties and local colleagues – and working overtime – is central to the city’s success.
Canberra’s new law allows millions of workers to refuse to monitor, read or respond to their employers’ attempts to contact them outside work hours – unless that refusal is deemed “unreasonable”.
Such an approach here would be hard to reconcile with flexibility, even for an economy renowned for adaptability.
One business consultant said adaptable scheduling was important for the financial sector to communicate across time zones, and overtime reflected employees’ work spirit, although long hours were problematic.