Woman lying on the bed, ovewhelmed and overworked, wanting to disconnect
2. October, 2024

The Right to Disconnect

Employers must implement appropriate measures regarding the right to disconnect by November 16, 2024; otherwise, they may face a monetary fine. For violations, fines range from €1,500 to €4,000.

With the adoption of the amendment to the Employment Relationships Act (Amendment ZDR-1D) last November, the right to disconnect was legally established. This law requires employers to ensure that employees’ free time during daily or weekly rest periods, annual leave, or other justified absences from work is not interrupted. The employer has a specific obligation to adopt suitable measures to guarantee that, during these times, employees are not and will not be available to the employer.

How can employers help employees fully disconnect from work?

Employers can achieve this in various ways, such as by:

  • Disabling or restricting server access after working hours so that employees cannot receive work-related emails outside of working hours;
  • Requiring employees to leave digital devices for work communication in the office;
  • Implementing mandatory disconnection during employees’ annual leave;
  • Clearly specify times when employees must be reachable by phone or email (outside of which employees are not obliged to respond and should not face any retaliatory actions).

If you have any further questions, we invite you to contact our experts HERE.