[UK] Labour wants to give workers the 'right to switch off'

The UK's Labour party has said that workers should be given the "right to switch off" when they have left for the day to safeguard against their homes becoming "24/7 offices", BBC News reports.

In addition, the Labour party wants employees to have the right to flexible practices such as working from home. It says this would allow people to spend more time with their families instead of commuting.

The government says it has no current plans to introduce a legal right to work from home.

A government spokesperson said, "The 2019 manifesto contains a clear commitment to consulting on making flexible working the default unless employers have good reasons not to."

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said, "as restrictions lift and we adjust to a 'new normal", we need a new deal for working people".

Ms Rayner said Labour's plans would "enable more people to enjoy the benefits of flexible working, from a better work-life balance to spending less time commuting and more time with their family."

"We cannot have a drawn-out consultation process that simply kicks this urgent issue into the long grass, leaving workers in a vulnerable position and allowing employers to dictate terms to their staff."

Labour wants the government to:

* Give workers the right to flexible working, and for employers to accommodate this "as far as is reasonable and practical"

* Implement a plan to support small and medium-sized businesses adapt to flexible working practices

* Put in place new rights to protect workers from remote surveillance

* Ensure "proper" sick pay and support for self-isolating workers is available

In France, the right to disconnect has been law for four years. Companies with more than 50 workers must define set hours when staff are not supposed to send or answer emails.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the government asked people to work from home if they could. Despite the lifting of other restrictions, that guidance remains in place but attention is now turning to what will happen when all COVID-19 restrictions are removed.

At present, an employee can request to continue working from home but the employer does not have to grant that request.

Some companies have found home-working more effective and that reducing office space can save money.

A BBC survey conducted earlier this year revealed that nearly all 50 of the UK's biggest employers did not intend to bring staff back to the office full-time.

However, other businesses - such as cafes in city centres - have suffered from the lower number of office workers.

Mike Clancy - Prospect general secretary - said his union supported flexible working but added that "'flexible' has to actually mean 'flexible', not simply moving work from the office to home with the same long hours, 'always on' culture."

"The challenge as we exit the pandemic is to make sure we build on the flexibility workers want and reset the boundaries between home and work life."

In mid-June, Downing Street denied press reports it had plans to introduce a legal right to work from home.

The prime minister's official spokesperson said that there were "significant benefits" to be gained from people working in the office and that it would set out its position "in due course".

The 2019 Conservative manifesto said the party would "encourage flexible working and consult on making it the default unless employers have good reasons not to".

A Flexible Working Task Force is exploring non-binding advice for employers.

Source: BBC News

(Links via original reporting)

The UK's Labour party has said that workers should be given the "right to switch off" when they have left for the day to safeguard against their homes becoming "24/7 offices", BBC News reports.

In addition, the Labour party wants employees to have the right to flexible practices such as working from home. It says this would allow people to spend more time with their families instead of commuting.

The government says it has no current plans to introduce a legal right to work from home.

A government spokesperson said, "The 2019 manifesto contains a clear commitment to consulting on making flexible working the default unless employers have good reasons not to."

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said, "as restrictions lift and we adjust to a 'new normal", we need a new deal for working people".

Ms Rayner said Labour's plans would "enable more people to enjoy the benefits of flexible working, from a better work-life balance to spending less time commuting and more time with their family."

"We cannot have a drawn-out consultation process that simply kicks this urgent issue into the long grass, leaving workers in a vulnerable position and allowing employers to dictate terms to their staff."

Labour wants the government to:

* Give workers the right to flexible working, and for employers to accommodate this "as far as is reasonable and practical"

* Implement a plan to support small and medium-sized businesses adapt to flexible working practices

* Put in place new rights to protect workers from remote surveillance

* Ensure "proper" sick pay and support for self-isolating workers is available

In France, the right to disconnect has been law for four years. Companies with more than 50 workers must define set hours when staff are not supposed to send or answer emails.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the government asked people to work from home if they could. Despite the lifting of other restrictions, that guidance remains in place but attention is now turning to what will happen when all COVID-19 restrictions are removed.

At present, an employee can request to continue working from home but the employer does not have to grant that request.

Some companies have found home-working more effective and that reducing office space can save money.

A BBC survey conducted earlier this year revealed that nearly all 50 of the UK's biggest employers did not intend to bring staff back to the office full-time.

However, other businesses - such as cafes in city centres - have suffered from the lower number of office workers.

Mike Clancy - Prospect general secretary - said his union supported flexible working but added that "'flexible' has to actually mean 'flexible', not simply moving work from the office to home with the same long hours, 'always on' culture."

"The challenge as we exit the pandemic is to make sure we build on the flexibility workers want and reset the boundaries between home and work life."

In mid-June, Downing Street denied press reports it had plans to introduce a legal right to work from home.

The prime minister's official spokesperson said that there were "significant benefits" to be gained from people working in the office and that it would set out its position "in due course".

The 2019 Conservative manifesto said the party would "encourage flexible working and consult on making it the default unless employers have good reasons not to".

A Flexible Working Task Force is exploring non-binding advice for employers.

Source: BBC News

(Links via original reporting)