New rules set to be brought into place by the UK’s Labour government will empower and enable workers to ignore work-related emails and calls outside of working hours, including during their annual leave – the campaign has been named the “right to switch off”.

This policy feels like a welcome indication of what we want the UK workplace to look like. Who hasn’t received a work message or call during downtime and felt their stomach drop, as the feelings of obligation kick in and your mental break from the working world is interrupted?

A 2023 report by Hays found that more than half (56 per cent) of employees are willing to accept a lower-paid job in exchange for a better work-life balance, showing that the UK workplace could work towards becoming a more balanced space. This shift could see the most significant change for women, with burnout – an undeniable consequence of a lack of work-life balance – being a top reason why women are opting to leave their jobs.

“Women often experience higher levels of burnout due to the combined pressures of work and domestic responsibilities,” positive psychology and business coach Elle Mace explains. “By guaranteeing the right to disconnect from work outside of office hours, women can better manage their work-life balance, reduce stress, and avoid overwork, leading to improved overall wellbeing and sustained productivity.”

Elle adds that a specific programme enforcing clear boundaries between work and rest time, and discouraging presenteeism, could help women to “engage more fully in their roles and seize professional development opportunities”.

If implemented effectively, she insists that a clearer distinction between the workplace and personal time will challenge “workplace norms that might otherwise impose unfair expectations on women, such as being constantly available or taking on extra, often invisible tasks”.

When it comes to how this policy should be implemented from workplace to workplace, there’s a lot to consider when ensuring that it operates effectively. Elle recommends that there are “clear guidelines and expectations set”, so that employees know exactly what this disconnect will mean. She adds that training for both staff and managers is crucial, with leadership playing a “critical role in the successful implementation of the policy”. 

“Managers should model the behaviour they expect from employees by respecting the boundaries set by the policy and refraining from contacting staff outside of work hours, except in emergencies,” she explains. “This demonstration of commitment reinforces the policy’s importance and encourages compliance across the organisation.”

As well as consistently and responsibly using supportive tools and technology that enforce the boundaries – such as automated responses that indicate offline status – it’s also important that adherence to the policy is rewarded and any violations are addressed promptly. More than that, the policy should be reviewed and updated according to employee feedback to ensure it remains effective. And mental health services such as counselling and supportive wellbeing programmes must also run in line with the “right to switch off” guidelines, to further support any employees – particularly women – dealing with stress or burnout.

Of course, it’s also important to address the potential drawbacks of the “right to switch off”, to ensure that they don’t impact its success and to come up with ways to maintain its efficiency.  

First of all, Elle suggests that it may not be easy to apply the policy across all roles and industries, especially those that have historically required constant availability. She explains that companies should look to “tailor the policy to fit various roles and contexts, offering flexible solutions like rotating on-call shifts”. Reassurance within the working culture that taking time completely away from being contacted by work won’t affect career progression or visibility and instead cultivating a value system that prioritises rest is also extremely important, as many employees may resist the policy if they believe it will negatively affect their career.

If a workplace operates under deadlines that may make a “switch off” policy hard to adhere to, it’s crucial that clear processes and support systems are in place to prevent employees feeling obligated to remain available during downtime. And if there are busy moments where the policy is deviated from, there should be a widely-understood framework for how these exceptions are dealt with business-wide.

Some employees and leaders may feel doubtful that less time spent interacting with workload and work correspondence will ultimately increase productivity in the long run. So Elle recommends consistently “monitoring and assessing the policy’s impact on productivity and employee wellbeing, using data to show that well-rested employees are more effective”.

So, while the “right to switch off” policy is a really positive movement forward for the UK workplace, and a great tool in minimising burnout for women in particular, it’s important that it is implemented with the complexities of the working world in mind.

With a lot of flexibility, as well as openness to constant innovation and adaptation, our right to switch off should be embedded in a more balanced workplace culture.