Two-thirds of homeworkers in the UK want to see a new ‘right to disconnect’ policy in the forthcoming Employment Bill, new polling from Prospect union has found.

The polling from Opinium found that 66% of those currently working remotely would support the policy, which would require companies to negotiate with their staff and agree rules on when people could not be contacted for work purposes.

Many countries have adopted similar policies in light of the rise of remote working, with the Republic of Ireland introducing new rules last week and the European Parliament supporting similar proposals in January. The Canadian government has recently established a Right to Disconnect Advisory Committee comprising business leaders and unions to set out new rules on a digital switch-off.

Prospect Research Director, Andrew Pakes, said:

“People’s experience of working from home during the pandemic has varied wildly depending on their jobs, their home circumstances, and crucially the behaviour of their employers. It is clear that for millions of us, working from home has felt more like sleeping in the office, with remote technology meaning it is harder to fully switch off, contributing to poor mental health. Remote working is here to stay, but it can be much better than it has been in recent months.

“Including a right to disconnect in the Employment Bill would be a big step in redrawing the blurred boundary between home and work and would show that the government is serious about tackling the dark side of remote working.”

Wellbeing and digital impact of remote working
The potential downsides of prolonged remote working were explored in the research, which found that:

• 35% of remote workers say their work-related mental health has got worse during the pandemic with 42% saying this is at least partly a result of inability to switch off from work.
• In total, 32% of remote workers say they are finding it hard to fully switch off from work.
• 30% of remote workers report working more unpaid hours than before the pandemic (with 18% working at least four additional unpaid hours per week).

Prospect says the figures reveal the ‘dark side’ of remote working and that legislative change is needed to help deal with the consequences of the continuation of mass working from home after the pandemic.

Prospect has written to Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, urging him to include the right to disconnect in a consultation in advance of an Employment Bill, which is expected to be included in May’s Queen’s Speech.