Will the ‘right to switch off’ transform wellbeing?

Does your working day end when you switch off your laptop or begin your commute home? Or are you responding to emails and messages even after you’ve left the office?

Among other employment-related initiatives, the new Labour Government intends to go ahead with plans to provide workers with the ‘right to switch off’. What this means in practice is that employers will likely be encouraged to prohibit workers from responding to emails or calls outside of their working hours.

The UK wouldn’t be the first country to introduce the ‘right to switch off’ – with plenty of European countries having already done so – varying in approaches.

Here, we’ll explore what impact the introduction of a ban on out-of-hours working could have on employee wellbeing. 

Does logging off mean switching off?

Positively, there’s been a great deal of focus on employee wellbeing over the past couple of years - notably since the pandemic. However, the prevalence of hybrid and flexible-working arrangements has made it more challenging for some to disconnect from work, given that in many professions you can work from anywhere and at any time, if needed.

We recently polled* our LinkedIn audience on whether or not they thought having a ban on answering calls or emails outside of working hours would support them in balancing their work and home life. Unsurprisingly, nearly half (44%) of respondents reported that this approach would have a positive impact on their work-life balance.

While Labour doesn’t intend for the measure to be mandatory, it’s expected to be recommended to employers and implemented in workplace codes of practice. 

A workplace culture where boundaries are respected when it comes to answering emails outside of working hours is really important for staff to feel they aren’t ‘always on’, which can lead to burnout, increased stress levels and poor mental health. In reality, though, this is difficult to put into practice, especially when working across different time zones, responding to clients and having constant access to emails on our smartphones.

Why employers must support staff to switch off – and how to do so

It’s encouraging that the new Government are taking workplace stress and pressures into consideration, and although the measure won’t be formally enforced for employers – it’s a chance for organisations to re-think how they approach out of hours communication. Combatting workers constantly checking messages or emails in their downtime can be an important element of your overall wellbeing strategy, too.

1) Ensure managers set communications boundaries with their teams 

Often the pressure to reply to messages outside of your working hours can trickle down from above – so if a manager is doing this, it’s likely their direct reports will follow. If you have managers who tend to work late or send emails at different times, make sure they communicate with their teams that they do not expect a response there and then. Better than this would be to use the message delay or schedule feature via emails or Teams to ensure messages arrive at a ‘normal’ hour.

Leaders can set an example by avoiding late-night emails or sending messages to teams over the weekend. 

2) Support staff who work different hours 

As more staff are able to work flexibly and choose their hours it’s advisable to add a note with your working hours to your email signature, so that you can communicate your availability, set expectations and help with transparency. 

The ‘right to switch off’ does have the potential to make some organisations regress when it comes to their flexibility agenda – as it might not suit everyone’s working patterns or ways of working. 

For employers, make sure you are aware of staff who might work condensed or part-time hours to ensure they aren’t being contacted on their days off, or expected to respond to messages. Those who work part-time can often find their work bleeds into their days off, so it’s a vital boundary to set. 

3) Set expectations 

Establishing explicit guidelines for staff regarding message-checking and response expectations is crucial. Initiating these discussions early on with a new team member ensures clarity right from the start. 

Additionally, if there’s an after-hours requirement, consider implementing a rotation system to distribute the workload among teams. 

Encourage staff to use the ‘do not disturb’ function on work messaging apps and avoid having notifications on their personal devices relating to work emails or messages. Similarly, make it clear that annual leave is respected, and workers shouldn’t be checking-in during their time away. 

Having boundaries when it comes to workplace communication should integrated in continued efforts as part of an organisation’s wellbeing strategy, supporting staff in the long-term.

*LinkedIn poll sent to UK followers of Hays’ LinkedIn page, receiving 2,363 votes