• 94% of business leaders support Labour’s ‘Right to Switch Off’ plans 
• 39% say it is necessary and acceptable for employees to work beyond their contracted hours
• The findings come as Labour plans to introduce a Right To Switch Off this year

Business leaders have wildly contradictory views on whether their employees should be able to switch off or have to put in extra working hours, according to a new survey.

To switch off or not to switch off?

The survey of 531 business leaders revealed that 94% of UK businesses are in support of the right to switch off (RTSO) proposals, which plans to give employees the right to not respond to work-related communication outside of contracted hours.

Across all businesses surveyed, it was found that 39% of respondents consider it either necessary or acceptable for employees to work beyond their contracted hours, while only 11% believe this is unfair and harmful to employee wellbeing.

Startups less than a year old were found to have an above average rate of considering it necessary or acceptable to contact employees outside of working hours, at 45%. This could be due to many young businesses fostering a startup culture of fast communication and flexible responsibilities to ensure survival.

UK is lagging behind on work life balance 

The call for the policy comes after years of blurred lines, enhanced by hybrid and remote work rising and technology advances. Currently, Brits have no official right to disconnect outside of their work hours.

The UK is currently lagging behind other European countries, such as France, Italy and Portugal, that have already made steps to prevent workers being contacted out of hours.

What’s the government doing about it?

With stress and burnout levels rising, the new government strongly suggested it intends to introduce a code of best practice to businesses, yet the RTSO was missing from the Employment Rights Bill. While business leaders currently have a conflicting view of contacting employees out of hours, this will have to change for the RTSO to be correctly implemented.

Editor of Startups.co.uk Zohra Huda says:

“The RTSO debate has small businesses stuck between a rock and a hard place. They want to do the right thing by their employees but at what cost to their productivity and profitability? With the government hesitant to act decisively, it could be a tricky year ahead of navigating muddy waters.”

*Startups.co.uk – *Includes hybrid, remote, flexible and co-working business models.