New Delhi | In a world where smartphones have turned offices into 24-hour workplaces, a new debate has surfaced in India’s Parliament — the right to “disconnect.”
NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MP Supriya Sule on Friday reintroduced the ‘Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025’ in the Lok Sabha, a proposal aimed at protecting employees from being penalised for refusing to attend to official calls, emails, or messages after office hours.
Sule said the time had come to draw a legal boundary between professional obligations and personal life.
“Technology has made work easier,” she said, “but it has also created an unspoken expectation of being available 24×7. This Bill is about freeing workers from that silent digital compulsion.”
No More Compulsion After Working Hours
At the heart of Sule’s proposal lies a simple principle — employees cannot be forced or intimidated into responding to work-related communication beyond designated working hours.
The Bill seeks to make it a legal right for workers to disconnect from work when their shift ends, without fear of reprisal, pay cuts, or disciplinary action.
Sule argued that this is not merely about comfort, but about mental well-being and productivity.
“India still measures efficiency by hours worked,” she said, “while the world recognises balance as the true metric of performance. This Bill aims to give that balance a legal foundation.”
Digital Work Culture Driving Fatigue and Burnout
The post-pandemic years have seen work boundaries dissolve amid remote and hybrid models.
The rise of ‘email culture’ and 24×7 responsibility has significantly increased psychological stress among professionals.
Surveys suggest that over 68% of employees in India routinely respond to official messages after office hours — often under “informal pressure.”
Mental health experts warn that this constant digital engagement is fuelling burnout, insomnia, anxiety, and strained family life.
“Employees have become perpetually accessible,” said a workplace psychologist.
“Disconnecting after work is no longer a privilege — it’s a necessity for mental recovery.”
Global Precedents Inspire the Move
Sule’s Bill takes inspiration from countries like France, Portugal, and the Philippines, where “Right to Disconnect” laws are already in place.
France, for instance, introduced its law in 2017, requiring companies to negotiate digital communication limits with employees.
If enacted, India would become the first Asian nation to legally recognise the “right to rest” — a move that could reshape workplace culture in its fast-growing digital economy.
“In India, work hours now last as long as mobile notifications,” Sule remarked, highlighting how technology has stretched personal time to the breaking point.
Corporate World Divided on the Idea
India Inc. has reacted with both optimism and caution.
While several industry voices have called it a progressive step towards employee welfare, others have expressed concerns over its feasibility in global operations spanning multiple time zones.
A senior executive at a major IT firm said,
“In a borderless digital economy, complete disconnection may be impractical. But setting clear boundaries is essential — respect for personal time must become policy.”
Experts say that, if implemented wisely, the Bill could help reduce attrition and boost morale in overworked corporate sectors like IT, finance, and services.
Policy and Political Outlook
Although a Private Member’s Bill, Sule’s proposal has struck a chord among both ruling and opposition MPs, sparking a wider conversation on workplace rights in the digital age.
Sources in the Labour Ministry indicated that the government is also studying frameworks that balance productivity with employee well-being.
If passed, it could pave the way for regulatory norms ensuring that rest, recreation, and recovery are not luxuries, but integral components of professional life.
‘Work is Important, But Humans Aren’t Machines’
Concluding her statement, Supriya Sule said:
“Every employee deserves time for family, self, and rest. Work is important, but humans are not machines. Until we start valuing rest, our work culture cannot truly be healthy.”
Analysts believe the Bill may not pass immediately but could shape future labour reforms around digital discipline and humane productivity.
Its message is clear — India’s workforce needs not just the right to work, but the right to switch off.
