Dear Reader,

Since the pandemic, many employers have introduced teleworking. To date many workers continue to carry out their professional activities from home or remotely from their workplace. This situation has resulted in the boundary between work and private life becoming very blurred, which means that workers often find themselves in situations where they feel obliged to answer emails and phone calls outside of their working hours.

Currently, there are no EU laws granting a right to disconnect. UK national regulations do not provide for a formal right to disconnect either.

However, in January 2021, the European Parliament adopted a resolution with recommendations to the Commission on the right to disconnect and in 2024, the Commission has launched a consultation.

Under Article 154(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the Commission must consult with management and labour before proposing new social policy legislation. The feedback collected during this period will now be analyzed to determine if there is a need for further legislative action. Should this be the case, the Commission will initiate a second-stage consultation with social partners to refine the proposed legislative measures.

However, in the meantime, several European countries have already taken initiatives on the right to disconnect. Other countries have not yet taken any initiative.

In this newsletter, we give you an overview of the applicable rules in the member countries in which ILLN is present.

We hope you enjoy reading it.