Right to Disconnect Bill moved in Kerala, Work Life Balance is Important!

Kanjirapally MLA Dr. N. Jayaraj has introduced the Kerala Right to Disconnect Bill 2025. The bill highlights the constant pressure on employees to remain available, often called “availability creep.” This pressure affects personal relationships and mental health.

In today’s world, work-life balance has become one of the biggest challenges for employees. With smartphones, emails, and online meetings, work often continues even after office hours. Many people are expected to reply to calls and messages late at night or during weekends. This constant pressure leaves little time for rest, family, and personal activities. Over time, it causes stress, burnout, and even serious health issues.

The bill aims to give employees the legal right to disconnect from work. This means they can ignore work-related calls, emails, or messages after office hours without fear of losing their job, facing demotion, or missing career benefits.

Strong family bonds and social connections are essential for a healthy society. When people are always busy with work, they lose touch with these relationships. Children, parents, and spouses are often neglected, leading to emotional gaps at home. The bill provides a chance to correct this imbalance by ensuring that work does not intrude on personal life.

Jayaraj argues that remote work and digital tools, which became common after the COVID-19 pandemic, have blurred the line between professional and personal life. Employees often remain tied to phones and online meetings even after working hours. He says this harms family life, leisure time, and mental health, leading to stress and burnout.

As a moral base, Jayaraj refers to Article 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees every person the right to rest and leisure. He believes this law is not only about workplace reforms but about protecting a basic human right in today’s digital age.

The bill also proposes forming Private Sector Employment Grievance Redressal Committees in every district. These committees will be led by labour officials and will serve for five years. Their role will be to monitor private companies, listen to employee complaints, and suggest corrective steps.

The committees will:

• Track staff downsizing during cost-cutting drives.
• Investigate poor work conditions or long shifts.
• Ensure proper overtime pay or compensatory leave.
• Examine pressure on employees to stay online after hours.
• Recommend ways to improve work-life balance.
• Monitor surveillance tools like CCTV or biometric systems.
• Prevent misuse of designations to deny employee benefits.
• Issue guidelines to reduce stress and protect mental health.

The goal is to make private sector jobs more humane by recognising the importance of rest, personal freedom, and mental wellbeing.

The idea of a “Right to Disconnect” is gaining popularity worldwide. France passed such a law in 2016, and at least 13 countries now have similar protections for employees.

Earlier, in 2019, NCP MP Supriya Sule had introduced a private member’s bill on this issue in Parliament, but it was never taken up for debate. Since labour is a subject handled by both the central and state governments, Kerala’s move may spark discussions at the national level. If passed, the Right to Disconnect Bill 2025 could become a model for other states in India.