‘Catalyst for change’: Data reveals benefits of Right to Disconnect law

New research has revealed that employees are pushing their right to disconnect from their employers as the amendment to the Fair Work Act hits the 12-month mark.

As the Right to Disconnect amendment hits the 12-month milestone since it was introduced, research has revealed that employers have received complaints from employees exercising their ‘right to disconnect’.

The amendment to the Fair Work Act came into effect in August 2024 for businesses with more than 15 employees, allowing workers the right to refuse to monitor, read or respond to content outside of their working hours, unless the refusal was unreasonable.

From 26 August 2025, this amendment would also apply to employees of small businesses, meaning employers and small business owners would need to be prepared for the change.

Amanda Gascoigne, accounting practice coach, said she saw the introduction of the amendment as a “golden opportunity” for practice owners to reevaluate how they interact with their work.

“I see it as a time for accounting practice owners to set healthier boundaries with clients, reclaim precious family, rest and ‘you’ time, model great workplace habits for your team and improve productivity by working smarter, not longer,” she said.

“This is about much more than compliance – it’s a mindset shift. If you’ve been feeling the pinch of always being ‘on’, this is your moment to reset.”

For the businesses that have operated with this right in place for the last 12 months, data from Robert Half revealed 56 per cent of employers had received formal complaints, concerns or requests from their employees regarding their right to disconnect.

It was also found that 93 per cent of employers were taking active steps to support their staff in their right to disconnect, and SME employers were more likely to receive formal complaints or requests than larger employers.

Since the enactment of the amendment, employers said the right to disconnect was achieving what it had been put in place for, as 77 per cent of employers found that their employees’ wellbeing and work-life balance had improved in the past year.

Nicole Gorton, Robert Half director, said this law had inspired change within Australian workplaces for the better.

“The right to disconnect has sparked a positive change in workplace dynamics, with employees actively embracing the policy to set healthier boundaries after work hours, challenging the ‘always on’ culture that has become so prevalent,” Gorton said.

“The overwhelming positive response from employers is a clear signal that the ‘right to disconnect’ has become a catalyst for cultural change. The legislation has seen businesses actively adapting their internal processes to build healthier and more sustainable work environments for their people.”

Off the back of this research, the Fair Work Commission revealed that since the introduction of the amendment, it had not considered any test cases or resolved any significant disputes in accordance with the terms.

Based on this, the Commission requested submissions by 3 October 2025 regarding whether it was necessary to review the model award term and whether the Commission should make guidelines for the right to disconnect, noting the lack of guiding case law at present.