No calls, emails after work: Right to Disconnect Bill Introduced in Lok Sabha

No calls, emails after work: Right to Disconnect Bill Introduced in Lok Sabha

Right to Disconnect Bill 2025, introduced in the Lok Sabha by NCP MP Supriya Sule, seeks to give employees the legal right to ignore work-related phone calls and emails outside office hours and on holidays.

The private member’s bill was tabled during the Winter Session of Parliament on Friday and aims to reduce burnout caused by digital work culture and constant availability expectations.

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The bill proposes the creation of an Employees’ Welfare Authority, which would frame rules to ensure that workers are not penalized for declining communication outside working hours. Employees would have the right to disconnect and refuse calls or emails once their shifts are over, without facing negative consequences.

Along with this bill, Sule also introduced two more proposals: the Paternity and Paternal Benefits Bill 2025 and the Code on Social Security Bill 2025. The Paternity and Paternal Benefits Bill seeks to establish paid paternal leave, encourage fathers to participate in early childcare, and promote a healthier family environment.

The Social Security amendment bill recognizes gig workers as a distinct workforce category, ensuring minimum wages, regulated work hours, social security rights and fair contractual terms.

According to the Right to Disconnect Bill, studies show that employees expected to be available around the clock suffer higher risks of stress, emotional exhaustion, sleep deprivation, and burnout.

The continuous pressure to respond to emails or messages, known as telepressure, disrupts personal time and family life, making work-life balance harder to maintain. The bill highlights concerns over info-obesity, a condition where constant digital monitoring overburdens employees’ brains.

The proposal says companies can negotiate flexible disconnect rules with employees while maintaining operational competitiveness. If a worker voluntarily agrees to work beyond official hours, the bill argues that they should receive overtime at their regular wage rate to curb unpaid extra work increasingly driven by digital workflows.