Right to Disconnect Bill 2025: Private staff get off-hours freedom.

• NCP MP Supriya Sule introduced the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025, aiming to prevent private sector employees from being forced to respond to work communications after office hours.
• The Bill proposes an Employees' Welfare Authority to enforce rules, investigate complaints, impose fines, and educate both employers and employees on their rights and responsibilities.
• It seeks to improve work-life balance by ensuring employees are not penalized for ignoring non-essential after-hours communication, requiring companies to establish clear policies.
• Similar 'Right to Disconnect' laws are already in effect in several countries, including France, Portugal, Italy, and Australia, with varying degrees of strictness.
• The United States lags in implementing such laws, with attempts in states like California failing due to business objections, leading to high work-related stress among employees.

Why It Matters: The Right to Disconnect Bill aims to improve employee work-life balance.