--- title: Right to Disconnect What It Means for Your Business and How to Prepare description: Learn how the new Right to Disconnect laws impact employers and employees in Australia, and what businesses can do to stay compliant and people-first. image: https://evolvesolutions.com.au/hubfs/Right%20to%20disconnect%20Linkedin.png --- [Skip to content](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog/right-to-disconnect-what-it-means-for-your-business-and-how-to-prepare#main-content) ![Evolve Corporate solutions company name, logo with tagline](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/logo%20tagline.png?width=1024&height=629&name=logo%20tagline.png)Homepage - [Services](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog/right-to-disconnect-what-it-means-for-your-business-and-how-to-prepare#services) - [Blog](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog/right-to-disconnect-what-it-means-for-your-business-and-how-to-prepare#blog) - [About](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog/right-to-disconnect-what-it-means-for-your-business-and-how-to-prepare#about) [Get started](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog) - [Services](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog/right-to-disconnect-what-it-means-for-your-business-and-how-to-prepare#services) - [Blog](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog/right-to-disconnect-what-it-means-for-your-business-and-how-to-prepare#blog) - [About](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog/right-to-disconnect-what-it-means-for-your-business-and-how-to-prepare#about) [Get started](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog) ![Right to disconnect- clearer boundaries between work contact and rest.](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/Right%20to%20disconnect%20Linkedin.png?width=1024&height=576&name=Right%20to%20disconnect%20Linkedin.png) # Right to Disconnect What It Means for Your Business and How to Prepare ![Matt Leonard](https://7528315.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528315/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-cms-elevate-theme_hubspot/elevate/images/avatar-placeholder.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=avatar-placeholder.jpg) Matt Leonard September 11, 2025 The way we work has changed—permanently. As technology continues to blur the lines between work and personal life, the Australian Government has introduced the **Right to Disconnect** to support employee wellbeing and create clearer boundaries between work and rest. This isn’t just a cultural shift. For many employers, especially those in fast-moving industries or remote teams, it means reviewing expectations, updating processes, and preparing to lead with clarity. ### What is the Right to Disconnect? From **26 August 2025**, all Australian businesses—regardless of size—will need to comply with new legislation that gives employees the **legal right to disconnect** outside of work hours, unless the contact is **reasonable**. Employees can refuse to respond to emails, calls, or messages outside their usual work hours unless: - The contact is **reasonable** - It relates to an **emergency**, or - They are being **paid** for on-call or after-hours availability Employers who breach these provisions may face **Fair Work claims**. ### What Is Considered “Reasonable”? Fair Work defines reasonableness using factors like: - The **urgency** of the contact - The employee’s **role, level, and pay** - Their **personal circumstances**, including family responsibilities - Whether the contact is part of **established expectations** (e.g. agreed on-call shifts) The legislation recognises that a blanket rule won’t work—but employers must justify any after-hours contact. ### What This Means for Your Business This is more than a policy tweak. It’s a shift in leadership, culture, and boundaries. Businesses need to: - **Audit communication habits** — Are after-hours emails routine? Do staff feel pressure to respond? - **Update position descriptions** — Clarify expectations around availability, especially for managers or remote teams - **Review employment contracts** — Ensure clauses around working hours and on-call expectations are clear and lawful - **Train managers** — Equip leaders to manage workload and lead with empathy, not urgency - **Encourage wellbeing** — Align communication practices with mental health and burnout prevention efforts ### ✅ How Evolve Can Help At Evolve Corporate Solutions, we’re already supporting clients to: - Draft compliant Right to Disconnect policies - Redesign workflows to limit after-hours work - Train leaders on boundary-conscious communication - Review employment agreements and team structures This isn’t about slowing business down—it’s about creating sustainable, focused performance that respects people’s time and energy. ### Final Thought In a world of constant connectivity, being *offline* shouldn’t be a privilege—it should be a right. By leading with clarity and care, your organisation can strengthen trust, improve engagement and stay ahead of compliance risks. Want help reviewing your people strategy or policies? Let’s chat. ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fevolvesolutions.com.au%2Fblog%2Fright-to-disconnect-what-it-means-for-your-business-and-how-to-prepare](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fevolvesolutions.com.au%2Fblog%2Fright-to-disconnect-what-it-means-for-your-business-and-how-to-prepare) ## Keep reading ### [![team holding organisational structure review](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Modern%20Office%20Brainstorming%20Session%20with%20Dynamic%20Team%20Interaction.png?width=1578&height=996&name=Modern%20Office%20Brainstorming%20Session%20with%20Dynamic%20Team%20Interaction.png) People solutions Organisational Structure Why EOFY Is the Best Time to Review Your Organisational Structure](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog/why-eofy-is-the-best-time-to-review-your-organisational-structure) ### [![Office team completing half year review with consultant](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/MidYear%20Review%20in%20Modern%20Office%20with%20City%20Skyline%20and%20Whiteboard%20Charts-1.png?width=1024&height=1024&name=MidYear%20Review%20in%20Modern%20Office%20with%20City%20Skyline%20and%20Whiteboard%20Charts-1.png) AI People solutions ai integration June 2026 Newsletter](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog/june-2026-newsletter) [![Evolve Corporate solutions company name, logo with tagline](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/logo%20tagline.png?width=1024&height=629&name=logo%20tagline.png "Evolve Corporate solutions company name, logo with tagline")](https://www.evolvesolutions.com.au) - [Services](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog/right-to-disconnect-what-it-means-for-your-business-and-how-to-prepare#services) - [Blog](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog/right-to-disconnect-what-it-means-for-your-business-and-how-to-prepare#blog) - [About](https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog/right-to-disconnect-what-it-means-for-your-business-and-how-to-prepare#about) --- Privacy Policy · Legal · © 2026 Evolve Corporate Solutions. All rights reserved. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Matt Leonard", "url" : "https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog/author/matt-leonard" }, "dateModified" : "2025-09-11T10:11:06.996Z", "datePublished" : "2025-09-11T10:11:06.000Z", "headline" : "Right to Disconnect What It Means for Your Business and How to Prepare", "image" : [ "https://evolvesolutions.com.au/hubfs/Right%20to%20disconnect%20Linkedin.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://evolvesolutions.com.au/blog/right-to-disconnect-what-it-means-for-your-business-and-how-to-prepare", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://evolvesolutions.com.au/hubfs/logo%20tagline.png" }, "name" : "Evolve Corporate Solutions" } } ```