How small businesses can prepare for the right to disconnect

The passage of legislation allowing for a right to disconnect for Australian workers provides business owners across the country an opportunity to challenge the paradigms they hold around flexible working and design a workplace that works for their employees and fosters productivity, argues one director.

In this episode of The Boutique Lawyer Show, from HR Leader’s sister brand, Lawyers Weekly, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes in house nous director Natasha Hannah to discuss what is meant by the term “right to disconnect”, whether and how organisations are responding to the passage of its legislation, the concerns that employers have, and hurdles to be overcome in the new environment.

Hannah also details the contractual and policy changes that small-business owners will have to undertake, the various conversations that should be had both with one’s staff members and a company’s clients, how to navigate those conversations and textual changes, designing a workplace accordingly, striking the right balance with generational attitudes and business needs, undertaking such changes against the backdrop of other firm concerns, and seeing the new legislation as a business opportunity.