Turn off notifications and mute your phone: In a victory for work-life balance, a new law is now in place in Ontario that gives employees the right to ignore emails, messages and calls. from work outside of hours.
As of June 2, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees must have a written off-hours disconnection policy. The so-called “right to disconnect” rule was part of the Ontario Conservative Progressive Workers’ Labor Act, which was passed in late 2021. It is the first such law in Canada.
“” Disconnecting from work “means not engaging in work-related communications, including email, phone calls, video calls, or sending or reviewing other messages, in order to be free to perform work.” , explains the 2021 legislation.
Ontario Labor Minister Monte McNaughton told CTV News earlier that the law “was created in response to the increasingly blurred lines between work and home” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ontario’s new rules apply to all employees, including executives and executives. Company policies should clearly describe the expectations, if any, of communication outside of business hours. All Ontario employers with 25 or more employees on January 1, 2022 must have a written policy beginning June 2. Employers with 25 or more employees before January 1, 2023 must have their policy in effect in March of that year.
From 2023, all employers with 25 or more employees must have a policy in place in March of that year.
Ontario is the only province with the right to disconnect the law. Quebec and the federal government have also explored the idea, but have yet to introduce legislation. These laws were first introduced in France and have only recently been adopted by a small handful of countries, including Italy and Slovakia.
Critics, however, say Ontario legislation is short and does not address what many workers really want.
“What they really should look at is flexibility in the workplace,” Bryan Smale, a professor in the Department of Leisure and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo, told CTV News. “As long as they do their job, it gives them more flexibility; it gives them more work-life balance and improves their well-being.”
The law has also been criticized for being impractical and short on key details such as enforcement and sanctions. Still, mental health advocates say rules like these are a step in the right direction to balance work and family life and disconnect from the digital world.
“This allows those who may be having a difficult time, or have a toxic job, or a difficult job, to have something in their toolbox to start and support them,” he said. Vancouver psychiatrist Dr. Shimi Kang on CTV News.
After five years in the insurance industry, Stacy Tang left her own graphic design business with better hours and the ability to disconnect from work.
“It simply came to our notice then [notification] after work and I’m just anxious to hear it, “Tang told CTV News from Toronto.” It’s very difficult to disconnect today, especially because technology is so accessible, and then with your head that know that you have access to the system after work. “
Under Ontario law, non-compliance with the new rules could be enforced under the province’s Employment Rules Act.