Australia cuts unpaid overtime by 33% and Americans are wishing they had the same 'right to disconnect'

Amidst the ongoing worldwide discussion on the “right to disconnect,” a new analysis surfaced online, claiming that switching off from work on time has indeed helped employees. A non-partisan research organization, Centre for Future Work, discovered that workers in Australia have benefited from having plenty of extra time on their hands, as reported by Smart Company. Months after the right to disconnect was implemented, the latest research showed a significant drop of around 33% in unpaid overtime. When u/KombatDisko took its findings to Reddit, people from other countries, especially Americans, wished to see a similar change in their workplaces.

With the latest research indicating a positive change among the Australian workforce, many wished they had a similar choice to switch off from work on time. After the law came into force, the weekly estimate of overall unpaid overtime was reduced from 5.4 to 3.6 hours, according to the Centre for Future Work. While employees have been benefiting from the policy adopted in August 2024, the outlet reported a warning from the unions. The pressure groups cautioned against the revocation of the measure, implying that workers would once again need to spend an extra 100 minutes every week to fully satisfy their employers.

The unions further claimed that burdening employees with an extra 100 minutes of work each week would not only negatively impact their work-life balance but also fail to result in higher compensation. Notably, under the new law, employees in Australia have the legal right to reasonably refuse to respond during out-of-work hours. They won’t face any action from their employers for not taking calls or answering emails. Notably, Australian average wage earners reportedly performed over 3.3 billion hours of unpaid labor before the right to disconnect was granted. After it came into force, the analysis estimated that the overall figure for unpaid labor dropped to 2.2 billion hours. Among the employees most impacted by the right to disconnect were young Australians between the ages of 18 and 29, according to Smart Company.

Additionally, this age bracket mostly comprises young professionals who either hold entry-level positions or have just started their careers. Since individuals were being compensated for their actual work hours, ACTU (Australian Council Of Trade Unions) Secretary Sally McManus stated that the ability to disconnect had helped alleviate the cost-of-living problem. “For too long, some employers expected people to work for free after their scheduled working hours. It is astounding that the Coalition is so incredibly hostile to Australian workers having the right to disconnect. Politicians might like being switched onto their jobs all the time, but most people actually have lives outside of work,” McManus said.

Meanwhile, the Reddit post discussing the same managed to draw some sharp responses, mostly from Americans. Among them, u/XavierMalory remarked, “We need this in the USA, but as long as I’m dreaming.” u/PetrichorMoodFluid weighed in, “And pay for travel time if you aren't going to allow remote work. I bet companies will quickly start changing their tune about letting employees work from home more or even going fully remote.” u/BatmansShoelaces added, "And the opposition wants to repeal it if they win the next election."