Categories
Antiwork

America Needs “Right to Disconnect” Law

Belgium and Portugal have passed new labor laws that state  “employers have the duty to refrain from contacting workers during their rest period, except in situations of force majeure.” This policy holds for both office and remote workers. If a manager breaches this policy, they could face a fine, as it's deemed a “serious offense for employers to violate their employee’s privacy.”  Europe is far ahead of the United States on these matters. Back in 2016, France ushered in the right to disconnect. Thereafter, Italy followed suit in 2017, and Spain one year later. Ireland implemented the right of all employees to disconnect in 2021. America is one of the most overworked countries in the world. It shouldn't take a law to get our bosses to leave us the fuck alone in our off-time, but if other countries can do it, we can too.


Belgium and Portugal have passed new labor laws that state  “employers have the duty to refrain from contacting workers during their rest period, except in situations of force majeure.” This policy holds for both office and remote workers. If a manager breaches this policy, they could face a fine, as it's deemed a “serious offense for employers to violate their employee’s privacy.” 

Europe is far ahead of the United States on these matters. Back in 2016, France ushered in the right to disconnect. Thereafter, Italy followed suit in 2017, and Spain one year later. Ireland implemented the right of all employees to disconnect in 2021.

America is one of the most overworked countries in the world. It shouldn't take a law to get our bosses to leave us the fuck alone in our off-time, but if other countries can do it, we can too.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *