A new bill from #SanFrancisco Assembly Member #MattHaney would clearly outline when companies can communicate w/their #employees during off hrs, following other countries that have passed “right to disconnect” #laws.
#AB2751 would require companies to lay out the expected working hrs in #employment contracts….It would also give state #labor authorities the power to investigate & fine companies that show a pattern of barging in on employees’ personal time.
“Work has changed drastically compared to what it was just 10 yrs ago. #Smartphones have blurred the boundaries between #work & #home life. Workers shouldn’t be punished for not being available 24/7 if they’re not being paid for 24hrs of work,” Haney said.
“The bill will effectively subject all employees to a rigid working schedule & prohibit communication between employers & employees absent an emergency,” [nope] the chamber said in a letter from snr policy advocate Ashley Hoffman.
…“We’re simply saying there should be #consent around when (people) are working & not,” Haney said. “Not an expectation of 24/7 availability in a contract that they have not agreed to, & that gives people no time where they can expect to be not working.”
Countries including France, Australia, Argentina, Italy & others have passed #laws to safeguard #employees’ personal #time.
…#unionized industries like health care & airlines would likely be the least affected, since their working hrs are hashed out at the bargaining table in many cases. #AB2751 specifically allows #CollectiveBargaining agreements to take precedence over #RightToDisconnect protections.
Other industries w/less #union penetration, such as #tech, would likely see clearer rules ahead of time e.g. like when #coders would be required to pull all-nighters to ship the latest update.