OPINIONNZ is lagging on the right to disconnect from work

• Published date: 24 August 2024
• Author: Amanda Reilly and Joshua A.T. Fairfield theconversation.com/nz
• Publication title: Hawkes Bay Today

The legislation is a response to growing awareness of the health and safety costs of stress and overwork associated with constant connectivity

A number of other countries, including France and Belgium, have also recognised such a right, or are considering doing so.

But New Zealand is not. Its regulation of working time is comparatively rudimentary compared to more comprehensive regulation in other countries, although the Minimum Wage Act limits working time to 40 hours a week unless the parties agree otherwise.

New Zealand should consider the right to disconnect for workers. But this needs to go beyond limits on when employers can actively contact workers.

The Government also needs to tackle employers’ ability to use newly developed technology to spy on, track and record everything workers do in their time off.

Constant surveillance is now a core feature of algorithmic management software. This gathers data from work-from-home laptops, biometric scanners, workers’ smartphones, AI...