Burnout Balm Or 'Disconnect' From Reality? Supriya Sule’s New Bill May Let You Ignore After-Hours Work Calls

Is it possible to disconnect from work? Nationalist Congress Party–Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) MP Supriya Sule thinks so. She has moved a private member’s bill in Parliament to ensure that employees have a personal life and space. According to the bill, an employee “is not obliged to reply or shall have the right to refuse to answer such calls.” It further states, “in case an employee refuses to reply to any call outside of work hours, such an employee shall not be subject to any disciplinary action by the employer.”

The bill also proposes the establishment of a committee to discuss and frame mutually agreed-upon terms of negotiations to address emergencies outside of work hours. It suggests that “an employer may contact any employee via telecom,

video call, message, email, or other forms of communication during times mutually agreed upon by the employee and employer.”

The reason for this is the increasing number of stress-related deaths of employees, including young people. While the jury is still out on the exact causes, work-related stress is believed to be one such reason globally. Several studies conducted by Harvard and Stanford, for example, reveal that constant checking of emails and messages has led to the destruction of work-life balance. This has impacted personal and family ties as well as mental health.

While the labour ministry has been introducing codes to ensure employees receive overtime pay, rights at work, and fixed working hours, some professions are considered high-stress and cannot be easily regulated. Journalism is one such profession.

Sources say that the labour ministry is actively working on regularising working hours for some professions. However, given the intense competition in almost every workplace and profession, is this feasible?