To connect or not to connect

[Hawkmoon]

That is the question being debated in Canada:
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/liberals-eye-closer-look-at-right-to-disconnect-in-labour-rule-revamp-report

The proposal is to codify that an employee has a right to stop working when he/she leaves work, and that means they should have a right to not have to be monitoring work-related e-mails when they're not on the clock.

Opinions?

[Cliffh]

Yep.  Once I've clocked out I'm off the clock.

Unless I knew before hand that being on-call was part of the job.  In that case, I'd expect some type of compensation for after hours/off the clock work.

[lee n. field]

That is the question being debated in Canada:
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/liberals-eye-closer-look-at-right-to-disconnect-in-labour-rule-revamp-report

The proposal is to codify that an employee has a right to stop working when he/she leaves work, and that means they should have a right to not have to be monitoring work-related e-mails when they're not on the clock.

Opinions?

If you're required to be monitoring work email, you're sort of "on call", and should be paid for that.

[Nick1911]

Hourly, there should definitely not be an expectation to monitor work communications while not on the clock.

Salary - however the employee and employer wish to negotiate it.

[Hawkmoon]

If you want me to be on call when I'm not on the clock, issue me a pager. If you need me to come in ... page me. Otherwise, when I'm on my own time, I'm on MY own time.

[RoadKingLarry]

A couple years ago my boss was at my desk at the end of my shift. Company cell phone went in the top drawer as I was locking up. He was some concerned that I wasn't carrying my company phone 24/7. I asked him how much he paid me to do that. When he told me We didn't get paid extra for that I told him that was why I didn't carry it 24/7.

[MechAg94]

Does this really have to be a law?  I was thinking that is likely is in the US in one form or another. 

[Ben]

I was always answering emails and calls and stuff after "working hours". Fed.gov was always big on saying our off time was our own, but it was also pretty unofficially expected that we'd at a minimum reply to email related stuff after we "clocked out", especially at the higher GS levels. Occasionally, when I was inundated, I'd claim an hour or two of comp time here and there, but doing so on a regular basis was frowned upon. Overtime would have been out of the question.

But I don't think that's too different from many large corporations these days, and some of it isn't even on the employer, it's just how a lot of people work these days.

[Devonai]

As a GS-06, my boss rarely attempts to contact me after work hours.  Sometimes my coworkers will contact me if I have a day off or I'm on vacation, because they're filling in for me and I'm the SME for problems with receiving (and since it's the government, there is a lot that can go wrong beyond "open box/confirm contents").  I don't mind spending three minutes on a phone call or text message to help them resolve something.

In the rare occasions that my boss asks me to actually come in to work on my off time, he gives me comp time in minimum 4 hour blocks.  Work for 45 minutes?  Four hours comp time.  Work for 4h15m?  Eight hours comp time.  Works for me.

[dogmush]

Another fed.gov employee here.

I'll answer emails on my time off, but if it's more than about 1 sentance, that answer is "I'll take care of this tomorrow/monday"  as far as actual work, they pay me overtime or wait till my work hours. I'm not interested in comp time, as I already have use or lose vacation.  There was one slightly awkward conversation when I told my boss's boss "No, not doing comp time. Either it's important enough to the command to pay me overtime, or it's unimportant enough to wait till Monday. "  I got overtime.

I think as soon as you hit management level anywhere you can't completely check out. Subordinates need to be able to get ahold of you, and Seniors will have the occasional question outside business hours. It's important not to let yourself be abused, but we don't need laws for that.

[cordex]

Hourly, there should definitely not be an expectation to monitor work communications while not on the clock.

Salary - however the employee and employer wish to negotiate it.

Bingo.