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The UK government has promised to enshrine the \u201cright to switch off\u201d from work in law, penalising employers for contacting workers outside an agreed set of hours.<\/p>\n
The policy, which is to be introduced as part of a new employment rights bill, could result in employers who repeatedly breach the agreement being forced to pay thousands in compensation at tribunals.<\/p>\n
Seven UK workers across different industries share their views on the plans<\/a>.<\/p>\n I have a 30 hours a week contract. I routinely work at least three hours every weekend and my days are from 8am to 6pm. Lunch is eaten at my desk or in my car between visits. All my colleagues are in a similar position. The demand is huge and we can\u2019t say we\u2019re too busy.<\/p>\n It [the \u201cright to switch off\u201d] will have no impact as we know what needs doing so employers don\u2019t need to contact us out of hours. There are methods to check if children have been seen, visits written up and meetings held. Thinking time, writing time is usually in my own time. Some of my recommendations have lifelong impacts on children\u2019s lives so I have to feel confident in my opinion. Anonymous, <\/strong>south<\/strong>-west England<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m in full support. I\u2019ll be working for another 30 years and the thought of being asked to do more than what I\u2019m paid for is exhausting. I\u2019m already juggling childcare, house upkeep and professional development. I don\u2019t have time, or any inclination, to do more. My ambition fizzled out when I was made redundant last year and I realised my efforts had not spared me or made me indispensable. Nothing [in my line of work] is so urgent it cannot wait, it [contact out of hours] is only a reflection of under-resourcing or someone else\u2019s poor prioritisation. I try to lead like this \u2013 keep balance and perspective so we can all work openly knowing we are there to pay bills and have some adventures with the cash we\u2019ve earned. Louise, <\/strong>east of England<\/strong><\/p>\n I work in the games industry and it\u2019s normal for me to do around 60-70 hours a week. On average I easily work at least 12 hours a day from Monday to Friday and quite often a day or half a day during the weekend. The intention of the new policy is good but it\u2019s written by people working a nine to five job without the understanding of the intricacies of the real world. When you work in a cross-disciplinary environment with people often spread across multiple time zones it\u2019s close to impossible to stick to a schedule that will work for everyone.<\/p>\n What the legislation should focus on is making uncompensated overtime illegal. It should be, at the bare minimum, compensated with time off in lieu.<\/p>\n When you work on a product that never sleeps, sometimes with millions of users, the pressure doesn\u2019t stop after your work hours, a delayed response can imply massive loss of users and revenue. Anonymous<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m an HGV driver and, like most HGV drivers, we often work up to 15-hour shifts. Even though we are contracted to work 48 hours a week, or in my case a 50-hour contract, most of the time I regularly do 60-plus hours a week. A lot of HGV drivers do not want to work this many hours but feel pressured into doing so. That\u2019s why there was a severe driver shortage a couple of years ago.<\/p>\n At the moment the working time directive is not fit for purpose as there are too many grey areas which employers can capitalise on. If there was legislation, that would give a clear indication on what our rights are. Kevin, <\/strong>Nottingham<\/strong><\/p>\nChildren\u2019s services worker: \u2018<\/strong>It will have no impact as we know what needs doing\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Housing manager: \u2018I try to keep balance and perspective\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Games industry worker: \u2018Legislation should make uncompensated overtime illegal\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n
HGV driver: \u2018Legislation would give a clear indication on what our rights are\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n