Right to Disconnect Bill Passes German Bundestag: Employers Forbidden from Contacting Staff After Hours
Germany passes the world's strictest right-to-disconnect law, granting employees the right to ignore all work communications outside working hours.
Right to Disconnect Bill Passes German Bundestag: Employers Forbidden from Contacting Staff After Hours
The German Bundestag passed the Disconnect Act on April 9, granting employees the right to not respond to any work-related emails, instant messages, or calls outside statutory working hours. Employers sending work communications during non-working hours face fines of 500 euros per incident.
The law applies to all businesses with 5 or more employees. Special industries such as emergency medicine and air traffic control can establish exceptions through collective bargaining agreements, but must provide additional compensation.
German Labor Minister Hubertus Heil stated: "The spread of remote work has blurred the boundary between work and life. The Disconnect Act ensures that technological progress doesn't come at the expense of employee health and well-being."
France passed similar disconnect legislation in 2017, but Germany's version is stricter, introducing financial penalties for the first time.
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