Is it right for me to disconnect or do I have the right to disconnect?

How to champion Ontario’s new policy on disconnecting outside of business hours.

We’ve all been there, 5 pm hits and that email comes in about a last-minute deadline that cannot be moved. Guess what? There’s now a law in Ontario that gives you the legal backing to push back and say “sorry, I have the right to disconnect”. As of June 2, employers in Ontario with 25 or more employees must have a written policy with respect to disconnecting outside business hours.

The vagueness and subjectivity on how this law is implemented has created confusion. What happens if people want to work extra hours and whether that now counts as lieu time? What happens if an urgent message comes in from senior leadership and it requires a response? And overall, how does this tackle the root issues of work-life balance? All that to be said, is this a win for the ever-growing burnout that employees are feeling? I believe that it’s a step in the right direction, however, it shouldn’t take a law with loopholes to make leaders respect work-life balance. Policies are helpful to provide guides on keeping everyone in check, but the greatest task comes with the behaviour change required to see the policies implemented in a meaningful way. 

So, how can you bring this law to life for your team? First and foremost, treat and care about your team as human beings by placing your trust in them. Trust is one of the most important attributes of successful teams. If someone on your team isn’t feeling well or is not at their best, empathize and validate those feelings by asking them how you can support them as they improve their wellbeing. If someone is feeling challenged by a task, get down in the mud with them and help them work through it together. The more trust you put in your team, the more they will deliver when they are feeling and working as their optimal selves. 

The second way that you can influence work-life balance is by being the gold standard. If you speak about disconnecting after work and being accountable for time off, you need to also exemplify that. When you’re on vacation, do not reply to e-mails, when it’s after hours, schedule your emails to go out the next day or put in a disclaimer in your signature that says that you’re sending this message at a time that is convenient to you with no expectation for a response. When you set healthy boundaries for yourself, your team will feel empowered to do the same. 

Finally, we all have times when we may need to work after hours or overtime to complete a project. Make these rare occasions known that this is not the norm and accept “no” as an acceptable response without any repercussions or judgment towards that person’s performance. This is also a great opportunity to showcase how to have healthy conversations on what can be done to shift timelines or align on the priorities the team needs to focus on. An important sentence to start socializing with is “I have no problem delivering that within that timeline, however, what would you like me to de-prioritize to do that”. Give your team the resources to provide options without cornering them to always say yes. This will help you and your team deliver high-quality work while maintaining a balanced lifestyle. 

Telling people that they have the right to disconnect after work should have been a no-brainer. The sad reality since the pandemic is the increasingly blurred lines between work and life. This new provincial law stating what should have been obvious is just a small step in the right direction. We have a serious burnout epidemic happening across the country and as leaders, we have the power to fix this for our teams. Creating a culture of trust, acting as the gold standard for team behaviours and giving your team the resources to set boundaries, will help your team feel accomplished each day rather than thinking of 5 pm as a daily deadline.