What Is Labour's 'Right To Switch Off' Plan And How Would It Work?

The government will be introducing a “right to switch off” plan soon to stop people’s homes becoming “24/7 offices” and prevent burnout.

Staff contacted outside of work hours could then use this as part of a wider complaint against their employers, and get a substantial payment in compensation.

HuffPost UK looks at what this means and how it could work.

What is the ‘right to switch off’ plan?

Labour wants employers and employees to sign up to an agreed set of hours where they can be contacted.

It comes after the government said being available via phone or emails outside of main working hours could be seen as “presenteeism” if taken “to an extent that you would develop burnout and [affect] your resilience”, according to The Times.

The PM’s deputy spokesperson explained: “This is about ensuring people have some time to rest.

“Good employers understand that for workers to stay motivated and productive they do need to be able to switch off, and a culture [of] presenteeism can be damaging to productivity.”

They added that the aim is to make sure the UK is “not inadvertently blurring the lines between work and home life”.

“It’s obviously one of the central missions of the government to support growth, and we know that productivity is vital to growth,” Keir Starmer’s spokesperson continued.

“It’s about making sure we have the right balance between making the most of the flexible working practices that we saw following the pandemic with also having appropriate arrangements in place to ensure that people can stay productive in light of that.”

It’s part of a package of reforms to workers’ rights in the government’s “New Deal for Working People” scheme, including a ban on zero-hour contracts, ending fire and rehire, and boosting the minimum wage.

The department for business and trade said the government “is proud to be delivering the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation”.

However, the PM’s spokesperson caveated that ministers are aware that there cannot be a “one size fits all” approach, as people have different jobs and companies vary.

What happens if employers do not respect these boundaries?

Employees could take their employers to a tribunal if their working conditions are breached.

Contacting an employee outside of their agreed hours could act as one of the aggravating factors in this wider claim, according to The Times, although it would most likely would not work as a solo complaint.

But it does means employers who breach working terms could end up having thousands of pounds added to their compensation bills.

At the moment, the compensation awarded in tribunals can go up by 25% if companies breach code of practice.

What policies do other countries have?

The government has been inspired by practices in other countries, particularly Ireland and Belgium.

Ireland has a Code of Practice where employers have to engage over a “right to disconnect” with their workers, and set up circumstances for employees to be contacted outside of normal work hours.

Over in Belgium, companies with at least 20 employees also have to have an agreement on the right to disconnect.

What about Labour’s history with the working week?

During its election campaign, Labour avoided union calls to make a four-day week an official policy, which was a former manifesto pledge.

One-time party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who now stands as a independent, said Labour would move to a 32-hour work week within 10 years if elected in 2019.

And shortly after being elected, PM Keir Starmer drew some heat from opponents after he said he tries not to work past 6pm on a Friday so he could spend time with his family.

However, when asked if the PM had been able to do this since getting into office, his spokesperson told reporters: “Needless to say, the demands of being prime minister are unique.”

Starmer did cancel his family holiday to deal with the far-right riots which broke out across the country earlier this month.