About the event

Bookings are now closed

This seminar is also being delivered as a webinar.

Should Australian employees have the right to ignore work phone calls, texts and emails outside ordinary working hours? Yes, say the NTEU, the FSU, and other unions. They assert an increasing expectation that employees will always be available, to the detriment of their health, well being and relationships. ‘It’s clearly a work health and safety hazard’, said the national assistant secretary of the NTEU, pressing for the right to log off out of hours to be included in enterprise agreements. Several European countries, including France and Germany, have adopted a similar approach. Many Australian employers resist, saying ‘its far better to approach this using flexibility and common sense, rather than being prescriptive.’ As working arrangements evolve, and technology erodes distinctions between working and non-working time, will this become a more serious issue? Where to next for Australian employers and employees, and what does this tell us about the future of working arrangements and regulation in Australia?