The RIGHT TO SWITCH OFF (also known as the right to disconnect) is the concept that employees should have legal or policy-based right to disengage from work-related electronic communications (emails, calls, messages) outside of their official working hours. This aims to protect mental health, reduce burnout from ‘constant connectivity’ and improve work-life balance.
Global Status of Right to Disconnect
Several countries have implemented laws or guidelines to support this right.
1 France was a pioneer, adopting the right to disconnect into its labour code in 2017. Companies with more than 50 employees must negotiate a charter defining how this right is applied.
2 Australia passed legislation in 2024, allowing employees to refuse work contact outside hours unless the refusal is deemed unreasonable (e.g. in an emergency). Disputes are handled by the Fair Work Commission.
3 Portugal bars employees from contacting workers outside shifts, with potential fines for non-compliance.
4 Other countries like Italy, Spain, Slovakia, and Ontario, Canada, have also introduced various forms of this right or require companies to establish relevant policies.
5 The UK government has also committed to implementing a ‘right to switch off’ though the Employment Right Bills.
The Situation In India
In India, the ‘Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025’ was introduced as a private member bill in the Lok Sabha on 5th December 2025, by MP Supriya Sule. Key aspects of the proposed bill include:
- Legal Right to Disengage– Employees should have the legal right to ignore work-related calls, emails, and messages after their agreed working hours and on holidays.
- No Disciplinary Actions– Employers cannot take disciplinary action such as dismissal or withholding benefits, against employees for exercising this right.
- Overtime Pay– If employees choose to respond during their off-hours, they would be entitled to overtime pay at the normal wage rate.
- Authority and Penalties– The bill mandates the creation of an “Employees’ Welfare Authority” to oversee and proposes financial penalties for companies that violate the provisions.
- Counselling & Digital Detox– The bill also addresses digital fatigue by including provisions for counseling services and digital detox initiatives.
It is important to note that, as a private member bill, it is not government legislation and faces challenges in becoming law, though its introduction has sparked significant national debate on workplace culture and mental health.
If India were to pass a “ Right to Switch Off” law, its impact on Indian Global Professionals-those working with overseas clients, multinational companies, or in global delivery roles- would be mixed rather than uniformly negative or positive. The fate of such professionals would depend on how the law is drafted, exemptions provided, and enforcement mechanisms. Suppose in near future, the government passes this law, then
1 Immediate Impact– This law may not be absolute for global professionals. Indian IT, consulting, legal outsourcing, aviation, shipping, and healthcare support roles would almost be carved out with conditional flexibility. Indian global professionals may not gain a rigid 9-5 shield, but may get regulated boundaries.
2 Likely Model India Will Follow– Given India’s export-driven services economy, the law would likely include
-Right to Disconnect and Duty to Disconnect:
- Employees may decline non urgent communications outside defined hours.
- Employers must justify after-hours engagement as urgent or contractual.
-Contractual Override for Global Roles
- Global professionals may be asked to-Explicitly opt-in odd hour work or receive additional compensation or time-off-in-lieu.
3 Who Benefits the Most: mid-level global employees like Software engineers, analysts, shared services professionals may gain predictable rosters, reduced ‘always-on’ pressure, and legal backing against mid-night calls without cause.
Women and caregivers in global roles: for them it will be better work life planning, protection against informal coercion and improved retention in global delivery centres.
4 Losers-Who Faces Pressure: Senior Professional and leadership-like CEOs, partners, country heads, project owners, dealing with US/EC clients. They are likely to excluded from strict protections because Global leadership roles will remain 24/7.
After the law , it will have to be specified in contract-availability windows and On-call duties.
5 Will it Hurt India’s Global Competitiveness: Short term-some friction for foreign clients, which will require need to negotiate. Medium to long term- India may become more sustainable as a talent hub with lower burn-high productivity. Client will adapt when rules are clear.
6 Risk of work Shifting Abroad: A common fear will be that work may shift to Philippines, Vietnam and eastern Europe. But this risk is limited because-India’s scale, skill depth, and cost advantage remain unmatched and secondly global companies prefer stability over some lower costs.
7 The Most Likely Final Outcome: For Indian Global Professionals, a right to switch off law would mean
- More structured global work
- Compensation or time-off for odd hours
- Reduced informal exploitation.
- There may not be absolute immunity from night or weekend work.
In the end, if this law becomes reality Indian Global Professionals will not lose relevance or jobs. They will move from an informal 24×7 culture to a regulated 24×7 framework. The law’s real test will be whether it balances India’s global economic role with human sustainability-not whether professionals can truly switch off.
Presently this is all hypothetical, it all depends on whether this law is passed and even if it is passed after long debate in Parliament, what will be its form?
But there is one fact which can not be denied that in the present scenario all these young/middle age global professionals, the way they are working ,they will burned out in next decade, and India will lose the experienced talent. Therefore this law is needed in some form to protect the present and future generations of professionals from early burn out.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
15th December 2025