California State Assemblyman Matt Haney introduced the 'Right to Disconnect' bill today. This proposition would allow employees and workers to avoid the need to work at home.
Those who work in person or in physical offices may have the legal right to relax when they get home, despite their superiors' gripping deadlines.
At the end of the day, people just want to relax after long hours at work, and receiving calls and/or messages at home for urgent tasks is not a welcome experience for many.
California 'Right to Disconnect' Bill is Now Introduced
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This centers on AB 2751, a new bid by The Golden State that is in its early stage but, when passed, would give employees the legal right to reject what is asked of them after the regular work times.
This means that employers who need to ask for more from their employees would have to lay this out on their contracts, one that an employee should agree to and understand.
However, there would still be exceptions like emergencies and other necessities, one that the bill looks to work out as it is under development.
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No More Taking Home Work and After Hours
Essentially, this Right to Disconnect would have employees layout their hours exactly, and anything further than that would have to be done by the next working day, one of which they are paid to do so. The Department of Labor would monitor future cases and may go as far as to fine or penalize the company violating this for a minimum of $100 or more for forced work after hours.
Physical Offices vs. Work from Home
The pandemic taught the world a valuable lesson, and it is the capability to work remotely from their homes as offices were closed and non-essential employees were restricted from going out. That being said, remote work, a.k.a. work from home, was born, and this gave companies a chance to continue their operations and their regular flow of business.
It also popularized many work and video conferencing apps like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google's Office Suite, Slack, and more.
However, back in 2022 and towards 2023, the world saw a healing process that prompted the return to physical offices, with some adopting a hybrid setup, and others remaining at home.
That being said, there are still employers, supervisors, or businesses that do not know the boundaries of when employees clock out or wrap up their day, as some either give tasks to take home or ask to get more work done in later hours.
Despite the urgency of certain tasks or projects, California's 'Right to Disconnect' proposition aims to end that, one that would allow workers to relax, as it is in other countries like Argentina, Mexico, Spain, and more.
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