If you’re tired of answering emails or phone calls after a busy day, well, Ontario, there may be good news for you.
As of Thursday, June 2, Ontario’s right to disconnect policy officially went into effect, which means companies with 25 or more employees must have a written policy to disconnect from work once finished the day.
“These workplace policies could include, for example, expectations about email response time and encouraging employees to activate out-of-office notifications when they are not working,” the provincial government said in a previous statement. .
From next January, employers with 25 or more employees will be required to have a written on-the-job policy before March 1 of that year, and this will also apply in subsequent years. In the total count, they must include all part-time and casual workers, for how many hours they work in the company.
So what does this mean for the employees of these companies?
Well, with this act, workers do not have to answer phone calls, emails, video calls or anything else related to working remotely when it is time to log out.
According to the Ontario government, this right to disconnect policy will apply to all persons covered by the Employment Standards Act, except anyone who works for the Crown, a Crown agency or any other company. whose members are appointed by the Crown and its employees.
“People are more than their jobs. They are mothers and fathers, volunteers, members of religious communities and more. I am proud to be the first in North America to make sure that workers have the right to disconnect in the end. his working day, “Labor Minister Monte McNaughton said in a tweet late last week.
The Ontario Labor Act, 2021, was passed late last year, and in addition to this policy, companies are also prohibited from using non-compete clauses in their agreements. it prevented employees from working for direct competition once their employment relationship ended.
The cover image of this article has only been used for illustrative purposes.