Smartphones and laptops can make it tough to leave work at work when the day is over, especially when working from home. (File Photo/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Right To Disconnect

Could right to disconnect legislation happen in Saskatchewan?

Oct 27, 2021 | 12:00 PM

Work doesn’t always stop on weekends or after working hours in the digital age, as many employees are always connected to their job via their phones.

In Ontario, legislation may be on the way to help change that. Could such legislation work in Saskatchewan as well?

Earlier this week, the Ontario government introduced “right to disconnect” legislation that would force employers with more than 25 staff to set boundaries on email response times after hours and out-of-office notifications. The legislation points out the line between work time and family time has become blurred.

“This is actually a problem that existed pre-pandemic but working from home has amplified it or magnified it,” said Eric Bailey, councilor and supervisor with Catholic Family Services in Prince Albert. “For a long time, a lot of people struggled with bringing home their work.”

Since the pandemic, Bailey said he’s had more conversations with people struggling to leave work behind when the working day is done, whether they’re leaving a physical workspace or just shutting off their computer in their home office.

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“I’ve heard many a client talk about ‘I can’t leave work at work’,” said Bailey. “That was before the pandemic. With the pandemic, work is happening at home. The difficulty there is you’ve got the kids in one room at school and mom or dad in another room trying to do work.”

It may seem a simple thing to just switch off your phone or computer to avoid the pull of work outside of regular hours. According to Bailey, however, there’s a feeling among many people of simply needing to answer calls and emails.

“Before, people would be on Facebook, or games and things when their at home on their phones,” Bailey said. “They’re still on their phones, but now it’s my work, this is the stuff that pays our bills, so you’ve got that sense of obligation to respond to things. I need to be either available or active or involved in these.”

Legislation in Ontario is still in the early stages, but if it goes through then other provinces may look to copy it. In theory, such a bill could work in Saskatchewan, though there are plenty of hurdles to jump over first.

“It’s important to be able to leave work at work and we strategize how to find ways to do that or set good boundaries,” said Bailey. “But legislating it is complicated. We’ve done that with truck driving though. You can only drive the big semi-trucks for so long and then you have to have rest, you can’t drive for a certain number of hours. So there is a precedent for that kind of legislation.”

Ontario’s legislation also includes a prohibition on non-compete clauses, which prevent employees from joining another company in the industry if they leave.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP