What is the New ‘Right to Disconnect’ Bill? – Explained Here

The way work is structured in India has changed significantly in recent years. With smartphones, emails, messaging platforms, and remote working tools, professional communication has moved beyond the physical office. While this shift has increased flexibility and speed, it has also resulted in a work culture where employees remain accessible long after official working hours. Evening calls, late-night emails, and weekend messages have gradually become routine, particularly in white-collar sectors.

The Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025 has been introduced against this backdrop. The Bill seeks to protect employees from being compelled to respond to work-related communication outside their prescribed working hours. It attempts to draw a legal boundary between work time and personal time, responding to growing concerns about burnout, mental stress, and declining work-life balance.

This article explains the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025 in a clear and structured manner, covering its background, key provisions, and significance within India’s labour law framework.

Why the Right to Disconnect Is Being Discussed

Digital technology has transformed workplaces across sectors. Remote work, hybrid models, and constant connectivity have made it possible for organisations to operate without strict time or location constraints. However, this flexibility has also created informal expectations of constant availability.

In India, this issue is compounded by already long working hours. Existing labour laws permit a workweek of up to 48 hours in most cases, which is among the higher limits globally. In practice, many employees work beyond these limits, particularly in sectors such as information technology, finance, consulting, and start-ups. Continuous digital communication has further reduced opportunities for rest and recovery.

Introduction of the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025

The Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025 was introduced in the Lok Sabha by NCP-SP Member of Parliament Supriya Sule as a private member’s bill. The Bill aims to recognise that employees should not be compelled to attend to work calls, messages, or emails once their official working hours have ended.

Versions of this proposal have been introduced earlier as well, but renewed debate around work stress, employee well-being, and long working hours has brought the issue back into focus. High-profile discussions on work culture and tragic incidents allegedly linked to work-related stress have also intensified calls for reform.

The Bill does not aim to ban after-hours communication entirely. Instead, it seeks to regulate such communication and ensure that continuous availability does not become an unpaid or compulsory expectation.

What Is the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025?

The Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025 is a legislative proposal designed to safeguard employees from compulsory work engagement outside their working hours. It formally recognises the right of workers to disengage from work-related communication after office hours without facing punishment, discrimination, or negative consequences.

The Bill acknowledges that while digital tools are essential for modern workplaces, unregulated use can erode personal time and negatively affect health and productivity. Its focus is on establishing reasonable boundaries rather than restricting genuine operational needs.

Key Provisions of the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025

Right to Refuse After-Hours Communication

The Bill explicitly states that employees have the right to refuse work-related communication beyond their working hours. This includes phone calls, text messages, emails, and other digital forms of communication.

This provision seeks to address informal workplace pressures where employees feel obliged to respond even when no formal requirement exists.

No Obligation to Respond

While employers may contact employees after work hours, the Bill clarifies that receiving such communication does not create an obligation to respond. Silence or non-response outside working hours is not to be treated as misconduct or lack of commitment.

This is particularly relevant in remote and hybrid work settings where physical separation between work and home is minimal.

Protection Against Disciplinary Action

A core feature of the Bill is the protection it provides against adverse employment actions. Employers are barred from penalising employees for refusing or failing to respond to after-hours communication.

Disciplinary action, performance-related consequences, or any form of discrimination linked to the exercise of this right would be prohibited.

Overtime Compensation for Voluntary After-Hours Work

The Bill recognises that employees may sometimes choose to respond to work communication beyond their working hours. In such cases, the Bill mandates payment of overtime wages at the normal prescribed rate.

This provision aims to prevent unpaid labour and ensure fairness where additional work is voluntarily undertaken.

Communication During Mutually Agreed Periods

The Bill allows employers and employees to agree on specific periods during which after-hours communication may be permitted. This provision accounts for emergencies, essential services, and situations requiring continuity.

Such communication must be based on mutual agreement, reinforcing the principle that extended availability cannot be imposed unilaterally.

Employees’ Welfare Committees

To help implement the right to disconnect at the organisational level, the Bill proposes the formation of Employees’ Welfare Committees. These committees would assist in setting internal guidelines on after-hours communication and employee welfare.

Their inclusion reflects an attempt to institutionalise dialogue between management and employees.

Digital Detox Centres and Counselling Support

An additional feature of the Bill is its emphasis on digital well-being. It proposes the establishment of digital detox centres to guide individuals on responsible and healthy use of technology.

Counselling services aimed at managing stress and promoting work-life balance have also been suggested as part of broader employee welfare measures.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

To ensure enforcement, the Bill includes penalties for organisations that fail to comply with its provisions. Non-compliance could attract a financial sanction equal to 1% of the organisation’s total employee remuneration.

This penalty is intended to encourage serious adherence rather than symbolic compliance.

Conclusion

The Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025 represents an effort to adapt labour protections to the realities of a digitally connected work environment. By formally recognising an employee’s right to disengage after working hours, the Bill seeks to address burnout, stress, and the erosion of personal time.

Whether enacted or not, the Bill has already contributed to an important national conversation on work culture, mental health, and employee welfare. As India’s workforce becomes increasingly digital, such discussions are likely to play a key role in shaping future labour law reforms.