Work-life balance and the right to disconnect

Discussions regarding work-life balance and the prevention of burnout have highlighted the potential for ‘right to disconnect’ legislation. In Australia, laws introduced in 2024 and 2025 clarify that employees are not required to monitor or respond to work-related contact outside of ordinary hours unless a refusal is deemed unreasonable. Factors determining reasonableness include the reason for contact, the level of disruption, the employee's compensation for availability, their role's responsibilities, and personal circumstances such as caring duties.

There is an emerging paradox where the push for employee wellbeing and mindfulness may inadvertently become a performance expectation or an individual KPI. Experts suggest that genuine balance cannot be manufactured solely through corporate policies or wellbeing programs. Instead, it requires leadership behavior that aligns with stated values, ensuring employees are not told to switch off while simultaneously being expected to remain available.