Received from: College of Podiatry
Congress welcomes the very real benefits that agile working and technological advances have created, particularly over the last 12 months.
However, we are concerned that many workers now feel pressurised to be available and online outside of their contracted hours – effectively working for nothing.
The pressure to respond to emails, other electronic communications and calls outside of normal working hours is detrimental to hard-fought improvements in work/life balance, can have an adverse effect on family life, mental health and wellbeing and ultimately only benefits the employer.
Congress welcomes the advances in establishing the right to disconnect in Ireland and other parts of the world and calls on the UK government to introduce similar legislation to protect working people.
Congress calls for legislation so that workers have the right to not routinely perform work outside normal working hours; not be penalised for refusing to attend to work matters out of hours; and a duty to respect another person’s right to disconnect.
Royal College of Podiatry