House Bill 4721 seeks ‘Right to disconnect’ after office hours

A representative in the lower house of the Congress has filed a bill seeking for the disconnection of employees to their work after their office hours.

Quezon City representative Winston Castelo filed House Bill 4721, enabling employees to ‘disconnect from work-related electronic communications after work hours’ as an amendment to the existing labor code (Presidential Decree 442). With the amendment, employees are given the right to disconnect from their workplace after their respective office hours and will not be reprimanded, punished, or subjected to any disciplinary action if one disregards a work-related communication sent.

Castelo cites that the ‘anticipatory stress and expectation of answering work-related emails is draining employees, leading to ‘burnout’ or the physical, psychological, and emotional distress caused by the total inability to rest and diminished

You can read more of the house bill here 11.