Employees in Australia are legally permitted to disregard work-related emails and calls after hours.

On Monday, Australian employees were granted the legal authority to disregard emails and calls from their employers when they are not in the office, unless it is considered to be “unreasonable.”

In light of businesses’ increasing reliance on digital communications and the rise in popularity of remote working following the COVID-19 epidemic, Australia has responded with legislation to address the blurring of lines between people’s personal and professional lives.

The Australian Labor Party, which leans left, hopes that this measure, which is part of a broader set of labor reforms that also includes minimum wage requirements for delivery riders and new regulations for casual employment, will lessen the pressure on workers to check their phones when they should be unwinding and spending time with their families.

“We are merely stating that an individual who isn’t compensated round the clock ought not to face consequences for not being online and accessible around the clock,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated during a press conference where the bill was unveiled in February.

Workplaces that violate the guidelines risk fines of up to 93,900 Australian dollars ($63,805), which will be imposed by the nation’s Fair Work Commission tribunal.

Australia is not the first country to introduce a right to disconnect from work.

Similar laws were passed in Germany, Italy, and Canada, while France introduced legislation in 2017 to shield employees from being penalized for not responding to messages sent outside of regular business hours.

However, Australia’s apparent need for such a measure conflicts with its international reputation as a “lucky country” with sun-kissed beaches and laid-back people. Australia was the first nation to implement the eight-hour workday.

Despite its reputation for being a relaxed nation, researchers, experts, and labor activists contend that Australia is witnessing a rise in the overwork culture.

According to a survey by the Australia Institute, the average Australian worker completed 5.4 hours of unpaid labor per week last year, with those between the ages of 18 and 29 performing 7.4 hours.

Chinese immigrant Wong had heard that Australian employers often did not demand their employees to work over a nine-to-five schedule and/or contact them during their spare time before taking up her first job as a sales assistant in Melbourne.

Wong, a late 20-year-old, claimed, however, that her supervisor frequently requested her to complete duties after she had left the office.

She claimed that her experiences with overwork were “worse” than those she had in China, a country notorious for its “996” work culture, which sees some people compelled to work six days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Wong told Al Jazeera, “I worked in private tutoring when I was in China.” Wong requested to be addressed by her last name.

“It wouldn’t take up as much personal time at the time, but I would occasionally have to respond to messages from parents at night.”

While Australians are sometimes perceived as “playing hard,” Chris Wright, an associate professor in the University of Sydney’s Discipline of Work and Organizational Studies, pointed out that they also put in more hours at work than citizens of many other industrialized countries.

According to the OECD Better Life Index of 2018, which Wright quoted, full-time workers in Australia dedicate 14.4 hours a day—less than the OECD average of 15 hours—to personal care and recreation.

According to the measure, 13 percent of Australian workers “work very long hours,” which is higher than the 10 percent average for the OECD.

Wright told Al Jazeera, “There have been studies conducted in Australia that suggest people’s boundaries between their work and non-work lives are being eroded by technology.”

“Work in Australia is usually characterized by this culture. Even though people work regular business hours, they frequently continue to work after they leave the workplace each day.

Wright added that Australia has seen sluggish productivity growth over the last 20 years despite lengthy workweeks, with labor productivity as a whole declining by 3.7% in 2022–2023.

Wright expressed his belief that Australia’s right-to-disconnect law will increase productivity by encouraging businesses to adopt more productive working practises.

“Countries with shorter workweeks—like France, which has a 35-hour workweek—are not uncommon. That has received some criticism. However, Wright added, it has really played a part in France’s comparatively strong productivity results.

“Moreover, I believe that the right-to-disconnect laws will encourage [Australian businesses] to consider more innovative ways to operate more efficiently.”

The Australian Council of Trade Unions’ president, Michele O’Neil, stated that her group has been fighting for the ability to disconnect for many years.

O’Neil told Al Jazeera, “We really welcome the fact that it’s now a legal right for workers in Australia, and that is important because the simple principle that you should be paid for all the work that you do should apply.”

Business advocacy organizations are unhappy with the measure.

The Business Council of Australia’s chief executive, Bran Black, stated that workplaces should handle the matter of allowing workers to shut off outside of work rather than relying on laws.

According to Black, Al Jazeera, “the combined effect of the government’s new laws, including new definitions for independent contractors and casual employees, will increase red tape and union power, while reducing productivity and hitting our economy at the worst possible time.”

“Instead of adding more red tape to the hiring process, our employment laws should encourage placing more people in the workforce.”

There is discussion regarding whether or not workers will feel secure enough to truly ignore calls and texts because the new regulation does not prevent employers from getting in touch with their staff. Bosses may contend that a worker’s reluctance to communicate is unreasonable.

Wong claimed she would be hesitant to use such a right because she was annoyed by her boss’s frequent conversations outside of work hours and was worried she would get a “bad performance review” in her evaluations.

However, according to John Hopkins, an assistant professor of management at Swinburne University of Technology, the rule might set the stage for businesses to change Australia’s “always on” work ethic.

Hopkins told Al Jazeera that he hoped the rule would “stimulate conversation around what is reasonable and unreasonable contact outside of work hours.”

In reality, it will promote conversation on the nature of the existing contact and its reasons. Is it necessary for employers to communicate with their staff members outside of regular business hours? And hopefully, it will result in less needless interaction,” he continued.

“However, its primary function is to grant the staff member the option to refrain from reading it or responding until they resume work.”