Why in news?

The Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025 was introduced in the Lok Sabha as a private member bill.

• Purpose – To create clear & enforceable boundaries between professional demands and personal time, as digital communication, constant connectivity, and remote work have increasingly blurred the work-life balance.
• Objective – To foster better quality of life, healthier work-life balance, and reduce burnout caused by constant digital connectivity.

India currently follows a 48-hour work week, one of the more demanding globally.

Provisions of the bill

• Not obliged to respond – Employees should not be compelled to respond to official communication after work hours or on holidays.
• Right to refuse after-hours contact – It seeks to give employees the legal right to refuse work-related calls, messages and emails outside official working hours and on holidays without fear of disciplinary action.
• Scope of communication covered – The right applies to all forms of communication like phone calls, texts, emails, video calls, etc.
• Emergency rules – Employers and employees must mutually agree on emergency contact rules, if needed.
• Overtime pay – If employees work beyond office hours, they must be paid overtime at their normal wage rate.
• Institutional Mechanism – It proposes creation of an Employees’ Welfare Authority to safeguard this right.
• Counselling support – Additional support includes counselling services to increase awareness of reasonable technology use.
• Digital detox centres – Proposed to  set up digital detox centres to help workers reduce distractions and focus on personal relationships.
• Penalty – It suggests a penalty of 1% of the total employee remuneration for organisations that violate this right.

Private member Bill is a bill introduced by a member of the Parliament other than a minister; however, private member's bills rarely become law and are usually withdrawn after the government responds.

References

1. Times of India | Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025
2. NDTV | Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025
3. Hindustan Times | Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025