💬 When your boss messages you after working hours

👮 “Can’t respond now – don’t want to break the law!”

It would be a dream to schedule such an auto-reply to my boss one day. Jokes aside, Australia’s “right to disconnect” rule does not actually ban employers from contacting workers after hours.

Instead, it gives workers an “enforceable workplace right to refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact, or attempted contact, from their employer outside of their working hours, unless such refusal is unreasonable”.

In Australia, employers and employees are encouraged to resolve disputes – such as those over the definition of an “unreasonable” refusal – among themselves, but the country’s Fair Work Commission (FWC) can step in if they fail to arrive at an agreement.

According to the FWC, it can order an employer to stop contacting an employee after hours. Likewise, if the employee’s refusal to respond is deemed unreasonable by the FWC, it can order him or her to reply too.

Such an arrangement appears to make things fair and square for both employers and employees. Employees or companies that fail to comply with FWC orders face fines of up to A$19,000 or A$94,000, respectively.

Australia isn’t the only country that has introduced the right to disconnect from work. Others such as France, Belgium and Spain also have adopted similar practices. In Portugal, it is even illegal for employers to call, text or e-mail their subordinates after office hours.

So, where does Singapore stand on this issue? As early as 2020, Member of Parliament (MP) Melvin Yong had called on the government to consider a “right to disconnect” legislation to combat workplace burnout. He is also the assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress.

However, critics of his proposal have found this rule unfeasible for essential service workers such as doctors or policemen, who may need to be on call 24/7.

Others have also questioned if Singaporean workers would even embrace such a rule, considering how it could hurt small businesses and the city-state’s broader economic goals. Having such rigid working hours is also at odds with the workplace flexibility that people prioritise these days.

Some Gen Zs in Singapore are feeling the heat of maintaining their reputations as good and productive workers. John (not his real name), 26, who works in the education sector in Singapore, tells thrive that it is difficult to disconnect from work demands after hours due to such pressures.

“I do want to disconnect from work (after official working hours). But under certain circumstances, where there are urgent tasks assigned at the last minute, there is an unspoken expectation for the whole team to be on board,” he explains.

“It’s normal to want to come across as hard-working and demonstrate that you’re responsible at work,” he adds. “This could run counter to going offline after working hours, especially when young people are still in the process of establishing better work-life boundaries.”

Adrian Choo, career coach and CEO of HR consultancy Career Agility, shares that if the “right to disconnect” comes to pass in Singapore, it is more likely to be a guideline than a law in the country. He explains, however, that it may not be easily put into practice.

“Employees here will not dare to completely ignore their bosses at the risk of losing their jobs,” he says.

However, Choo adds that having “right-to-disconnect” guidelines for employers in Singapore, could, at the very least, help protect workers from unreasonable behaviour by overreaching bosses.

📏 Create your own rules

A law to protect employees here from their employers’ overtime expectations may take a while to arrive, but learning how to manage upwards better at your workplace could be one interim solution.

Here are some things you can do if you find yourself needing to build better work-life boundaries 💼🤸:

• Communicate to your boss clearly and respectfully about your working hours: Listening to your boss’ expectations is important, but so is giving clear feedback if some arrangements aren’t working out for you. This is especially so if you find your current workflow situation encroaching on your personal time. Remember to stress your availability during office hours and how you will complete any tasks that spill over by the next working day, especially if the work is not urgent. Thereafter, do be prepared to actually be responsive during that time.

• Set clear boundaries: The responsibility of disconnecting is on you, too. Be disciplined about the time you choose to log off, and schedule messages or any e-mails for the next day if need be.

• Speak to human resources (HR) if nothing changes: Sometimes, you may need to ask for help from an external party to intervene if you’ve done your best in trying to manage your boss’ expectations but haven’t seen any changes implemented. Turning to an official, higher authority could result in the change you need for the sake of your mental health and personal life, especially if you want to remain in your job.

TL;DR

• “Right-to-disconnect” policies have become popular in various European countries, and the issue was even mooted in Singapore as early as 2020 📵

• However, critics have noted that employers in Singapore may not be able to accept such policies due to concerns about their impact on productivity 😲

• Expectations of productivity and blurred work-life boundaries have kept young adults in Singapore from disconnecting from work

• Communicating with your boss or other relevant external parties in a respectful and clear manner is important for any kind of change to happen 🕝