A California lawmaker wants to make it illegal for your boss to get in touch with you after work hours.
Assemblyman Matt Haney (D-17) said smartphones have changed the work-life balance. If this bill becomes law, it would help preserve that balance.
“If you’re working a 9-to-5 job, you shouldn’t be expected to be working 24/7,” he told The San Francisco Standard. “That should be available to everyone, regardless of the existence of smartphones.”
If signed into law, California would be the first state that prevents managers from contacting their employees during non-working hours. It would require businesses – public and private – to have a company policy that gives employees the “right to disconnect.”
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The bill would also require businesses to establish non-working hours in a written agreement. If businesses violated this law, employees would be able to file a complaint with the California Labor Commissioner. This could result in the business paying a fine.
Haney said that the bill’s flexible for businesses with unusual hours or if a boss needs to find someone to cover a shift.
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