Solon files bill granting workers right to disconnect

A bill granting employees the right to disconnect from work, including responding to offline and online communications after work hours, was filed in the House of Representatives.

Cagayan de Oro lawmaker Rufus Rodriguez's proposal under House Bill 9375 would amend the Labor Code by stating that an employee should not be reprimanded, punished, or otherwise subjected to disciplinary action if he or she disregards a work-related communication sent after work hours.

This provision, however, is subject to the terms and conditions of the policy to be established by the employer.

Likewise, the bill amends the Labor Code's coverage of work hours which will not include:

• all time during which an employee is required to be on duty or to be at a prescribed workplace,
• all time during which an employee is suffered or permitted to work, including time spent reading and responding to work-related communications sent through electronic means after work hours such as but not limited to e-mail, short messaging service (text message), and mobile phone calls.

Further, House Bill 9375 provides that rest periods of short duration during working hours shall be counted as hours worked.

"Advances in technology have made it easier for people to work and conduct business. Everyone is getting more and more connected it is also easier to reach anyone at any given time. However, problems arise in such a way that employees work even beyond the normal working hours (i.e. replying to emails, replying to messages on their phones, answering calls, among others)," Rodriguez said in the explanatory note of his bill.

"This could add additional stress to employees and destroy their work-life balance," he added.

Rodriguez said that France's labor law gave employees the right to disconnect from email, smartphones, and other electronic leashes once their working day had ended to ensure respect for rest periods and balance between work, family, and personal lives.

In addition, he cited studies to show that the anticipatory stress and expectation of answering after-hours e-mails is draining employees, leading to "burnout" or physical, psychological, and emotional distress. — DVM, GMA Integrated News