Context: A Private Member’s Bill titled the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025 has been introduced in the Lok Sabha to address rising concerns over excessive work-related digital communication beyond official hours. The Bill seeks to legally empower employees to disengage from work calls, emails, and messages after working hours without fear of penalties or disciplinary action.
What is the Right to Disconnect?
The Right to Disconnect refers to an employee’s right to remain offline outside official working hours and to refuse work-related communication unless explicitly required by the nature of employment. It aims to draw clear boundaries between professional and personal life in an era of smartphones, remote work, and constant connectivity.
Key Provisions of the Bill
The Bill proposes the creation of an Employees’ Welfare Authority to oversee implementation. Employers violating the provisions may face a penalty of up to 1%, alongside mandatory overtime compensation for after-hours work.
It also recommends counselling services and digital detox centres to promote healthy technology usage.
Need for a Right to Disconnect in India
India currently lacks statutory safeguards against digital overreach at the workplace. This legal vacuum enables unpaid overtime and constant availability expectations, often described as telepressure. Such practices adversely affect mental health and productivity.
From a constitutional perspective, the Bill aligns with Article 21, which encompasses the right to health, rest, and sleep, and reinforces Articles 39(e) and 42, which mandate humane working conditions and maternity relief.
Empirical evidence underscores the urgency: studies indicate that nearly 49% of Indian employees report work-related stress, while average weekly working hours stand at 47.7 hours, among the highest globally.
Excessive work hours have also been linked to declining productivity, burnout, and presenteeism, suggesting that structured rest improves efficiency and workplace outcomes.
Global Best Practices
Several countries have already legislated the right to disconnect. France pioneered this approach under the El Khomri Labour Law (2017). Portugal criminalised after-hours work contact in 2021, except during emergencies. Australia, in 2024, introduced an enforceable right allowing employees to refuse unreasonable after-hours communication.
Significance for India
If enacted, the Bill could modernise India’s labour governance framework, promote mental well-being, and align workplace practices with constitutional values and global standards.