• The Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025, a Private Member’s Bill introduced by NCP MP Supriya Sule, has reignited debate on work–life balance and employee well-being in India’s digital work culture.

Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025

• The Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025 seeks to grant employees a statutory right to disengage from work-related communications outside agreed working hours, protecting personal time in an era of constant digital connectivity and remote work.

Key Features of the Bill

• Legal right to disconnect: Section 7 guarantees every employee the right to ignore work-related calls, emails, or messages after contractual work hours without fear of disciplinary action.
• Defined ‘out-of-work hours’: Clearly defines time beyond agreed work schedules, reducing ambiguity and employer overreach.
• Employees’ Welfare Authority: Establishes a central authority to oversee implementation, protect employee dignity, and promote work–life balance.
• Negotiation charter: Mandates employer–employee charters specifying out-of-work communication protocols and mutually agreed exceptions.
• Overtime compensation: Section 11 provides overtime pay at normal wage rates if employees voluntarily respond after hours.
• Digital well-being measures: Requires awareness programmes, counselling services, and Digital Detox Centres, especially for remote work environments.
• Penalties for non-compliance: Imposes a financial penalty of 1% of total employee remuneration on violating organisations, acting as a strong deterrent.

Need for Such a Law in India

• Always-on work culture: The spread of smartphones, remote work, and digital platforms has dissolved fixed work hours, making employees perpetually accessible and eroding clear boundaries between professional and personal life.
• Mental health concerns: Extended digital availability has led to rising cases of burnout, anxiety, and work-induced stress, particularly among young professionals and gig workers lacking institutional safeguards.
• Power asymmetry at workplaces: Employees often hesitate to ignore after-hours communication due to hierarchical pressures, performance appraisals, and job insecurity, resulting in involuntary overtime and silent exploitation.
• Global legislative precedent: Countries such as France, Belgium, Ireland, and Australia have legally recognised the right to disconnect, demonstrating its feasibility as a labour-rights protection in modern economies.
• Productivity over presenteeism: The law encourages a shift from measuring work by hours logged to outcomes delivered, improving efficiency, innovation, and long-term employee engagement.

Challenges Associated

• Diverse work models: India’s economy spans manufacturing, IT, gig work, and global services, making uniform regulation difficult for sectors requiring time-zone coordination or emergency responsiveness.
• Enforcement difficulties: Monitoring informal digital communications such as WhatsApp messages or late-night calls poses practical and evidentiary challenges for regulators.
• SME compliance burden: Small and medium enterprises may face difficulties in framing charters, maintaining compliance records, and absorbing potential financial penalties.
• Risk of regulatory rigidity: Overly strict provisions could limit operational flexibility during peak business cycles, emergencies, or client-driven deadlines.
• Private Member’s Bill limitation: Without government sponsorship, private member’s bills rarely become law, restricting immediate legislative impact despite policy relevance.

Way Ahead

• Phased and sector-specific adoption: Introduce differentiated norms based on sectoral needs, allowing flexibility for global teams while protecting routine employees from digital overreach.
• Tripartite dialogue mechanism: Structured consultations among government, employers, and worker representatives can help create balanced, enforceable, and context-sensitive norms.
• Soft-law approach initially: Guidelines under existing labour codes can test feasibility and acceptance before formal statutory backing.
• Behavioural and cultural change: Awareness campaigns must promote responsible digital communication norms among managers and employees alike.
• Integration with labour and health policies: Link the right to disconnect with occupational health, mental well-being, and productivity frameworks for holistic workforce protection.

Conclusion

• The Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025 reflects the evolving realities of India’s digital workforce and the growing need to protect mental well-being. While legislative and practical challenges remain, the Bill has sparked a vital conversation on humane, sustainable work cultures. Balancing flexibility with dignity at work will be key to future labour governance in India.