The right to digital disconnection, regulated under Article 88 of the Law on the Protection of Personal Data and the Guarantee of Digital Rights, is one of the measures introduced in recent years to adapt labor legislation to the growing use of digital tools in the professional sphere.
What is the right to digital disconnection?
Every worker has the right to respect for their rest time and personal privacy, which includes being completely disconnected from digital devices at their workstation outside of working hours. This means that they are not obliged to continue working or respond to communications from the company after the end of their working day and should not face any consequences as a result.
The lack of digital disconnection negatively impacts the physical and mental health of the worker, leading to lower performance and greater job dissatisfaction.
How can the right to digital disconnection be guaranteed?
In addition to respecting this right, the company should ensure its effective implementation by creating a specific internal policy that outlines measures such as:
Restricting communications outside of working hours
This is a key point for disengagement: not only should the company limit calls, emails or messages after the workday is over, but employees should learn to ignore them until the next day. To this end, it is advisable to set up automatic response messages on communication channels and to turn off digital devices at work once working hours are over.
Following a time tracking system
Digital time recording systems, in addition to being mandatory by law, provide a reliable and objective way to detect when someone exceeds their working hours or receives communications after their shift has ended. Therefore, it is essential to regularly review employee records.
Establish availability rules
Jobs that involve non-face-to-face on-call positions require out-of-hours availability to be agreed upon. In other words, the employee must be available and reachable for a specified, limited period of time according to the relevant contract and collective agreement.
Plan the workday
Effective working time management is essential to prevent the workday from extending. Daily tasks should be planned in such a way that the most urgent ones are prioritized, while those that can be completed on another day are postponed. Similarly, meetings and training sessions should be scheduled within the timetable, with a time limit and, preferably, not at the last minute.
Providing training and raising awareness
In addition to informing staff about the measures implemented, awareness should be raised regarding work-life balance and the importance of digital disconnection. To this end, guides or talks can be offered to encourage the appropriate use of digital work devices and to raise awareness of the consequences of technological overexposure and constant connectivity.
Grupo SPEC’s HR software will help you plan the workday and manage your staff’s schedules. Contact our customer service for more information.
