Belgian Public Workers Granted Right to 'Disconnect' from Work

Belgian public servants can now choose not to respond to emails or phone calls outside of work hours after the country introduced a 'right to disconnect' for employees. According to The Guardian, the law which took effect on Tuesday allows 65,000 federal officials to be unavailable after the regular workday ends, unless there are 'exceptional' reasons.

The government is also planning to extend this right to private sector workers, despite pushback from some business groups.

Belgium's Minister for Public Administration, Petra De Sutter, stated that the law is necessary to combat a culture where individuals feel they must always be available. This perception has reportedly intensified due to the necessity of working from home during the Covid pandemic, which is likely to lead to irreversible changes in people's habits.

In a recent survey about remote work, four out of five Belgians (84%), including 40% in leadership positions, expressed a desire to continue working from home two or more days a week after the pandemic.

Without the right to disconnect, De Sutter noted, 'the outcome will be stress and burnout, and that is the real illness of today.' The federal government is also exploring proposals for a four-day work week of 38-40 hours for salaried employees, which would result in longer working days but provide three days off.