The ‘right to disconnect’ bill and if it should come to Alberta

Imagine putting your phone on Do Not Disturb when you leave work and not having to worry about your boss contacting you.

The “right to disconnect” bill which is being introduced in Ontario, and looked at federally, looks to do just that.

It could set policies around when employers can contact you.

In Ontario, if the bill were passed, it would mean companies with 25 or more employees would have to have policies in place around disconnecting from work.

It’s a bill several Albertans CityNews spoke with said they would be all in for.

“When it’s my day off, it’s my day off,” said one Calgarian, “but, if it’s an emergency, they should be able to call me back.”

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While some of those in charge are iffy on the idea of the bill.

“Being a boss myself, there are times you should be able to contact these people.”

“If your job states that you work 9 to 5, that should be your job hours, 9 to 5,” said Sarah Coderre, a lawyer and co-founder of Bow River Law. “I think it’s in response to a lot of what’s happening during the pandemic, where the lines are being blurred.”

The law first surfaced in France, in response to the effect technology has had on work/life balance.

“We like to have corners of boundaries in our lives, that we have a sense of control over, but we’ve lost that,” said Dr. Brent Macdonald, a lead psychologist at Macdonald Psychology Group.

Macdonald thinks once mandates come in, it could create more stress, but boundaries for yourself definitely need to be set.

“It does have an effect on our relationships, on our sleep, and general mental health and not in a very healthy way for the most part,” he explained.

Because we live in a capitalist, success-driven culture, Coderre says while this legislation is well-meaning, it could surface some ugly outcomes.

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“But it’s an unwritten rule that you really give it your all and dig in for the team, that could have a way of manifesting itself in informal ways like certain people getting promotions over others,” Coderre said.

The bill in Ontario also addresses other workplace issues like gig economy workers being able to use public restrooms and getting rid of no competition clauses from contracts.

Coderre adds legislation may not be the way to go on this — more is needed — and that’s a total shift in how society looks at work.

“Whether we as a society can say ‘let’s try and pivot to a culture shift that we don’t need the government to tell us how we should be balancing our work and our lives.’”