Right to Disconnect
From August 2024, new legislation takes effect that impacts how organisations can contact workers out of hours.
As a technology business that provides critical communication to health, emergency services, and enterprise customers, we see the need for operational updates. The good news is Ikonix Connect can already support this change.
What is the ‘Right to Disconnect’ law change?
From August 2024 (or 2025, for workplaces with fewer than 15 employees), staff will be able to disconnect from work communications outside of work hours.
This change is an amendment to the existing Fair Work Act. It gives workers the right to ‘switch off’ after their shift.
Employers can still contact for legitimate reasons, such as trying to fill an empty shift, or in case of emergency.
A recent survey by Australian HR Institute found that as much as 41% of workplaces already have a ‘right to disconnect’ policy in place.
Of those organisations, an overwhelming majority (89%) found that employees were readily compliant with the policies.
Why this change?
As discussed by law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, an Australian Senate committee found that “emerging technologies should not tether workers to jobs outside paid working hours without formal agreement and recompense” and “the perceived need to be available outside of working hours impacts mental health and productivity, [and] exacerbates work-life stress’”
These principles help business owners and leaders in their duty of care to ensure health and safety risks are mitigated as far as reasonably practical.
A report from the Australian Institute thinktank identified that a poor work-life balance can increase the rate of accidents and injuries, as well as negatively influencing personal life and relationships, job satisfaction, motivation and relationship with work.
A survey by the Centre for Future Work also found that 84% of employees expressed support for legislated right to disconnect, with just 8% opposing it.
Supporting employee's Right to Disconnect using technologies in Ikonix UMS with Connect.
Go offline
With a simple toggle from online to offline your staff can avoid interruptions while away from work.
Other staff can quickly see who is and who is not available with integrations to your organisation's staff directory.
Messages sent to someone offline are received by the user’s handset, but don’t trigger a notification, ready for when they are back at work.
Automation for efficiency
Making workplaces more efficient decreases the overall workload, which reduces the risk of burnout and WHS concerns.
Ikonix Messenger and Ikonix Connect support powerful workflows for automation as messages flow from system to system, providing timely information to staff when they need it.
Rostering transparency
Managing on-call roles often relies on paper rosters, which are often quickly outdated.
With role-based messaging and shift handovers, Ikonix Connect empowers workers to transfer responsibility between them. These rosters can be published to your intranet and be updated as changes occur, ensuring everyone accesses accurate information to reach the right people every time.
David Fairlie-Jones
Senior Product Manager
David is the product manager for Ikonix Connect. His close work with hospitals and enterprises in developing and deploying Ikonix Connect has given him a thorough understanding of how leading organisations manage work-life balance.