New Delhi, Dec. 7 -- The introduction of the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025, by NCP MP Supriya Sule arrives at a moment when India is wrestling with the unintended consequences of its rapidly digitising workplaces. Tabled during a crowded Winter Session of Parliament, the bill seeks to give employees the legal right to refuse to engage in work-related communication outside official hours and on holidays. As Parliament convenes under the shadow of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls across multiple states, the proposal cuts through the noise with a simple assertion: modern work culture has stretched the boundaries of professional obligation to the point where personal time has become indistinguishable from office hours. India's vast workforce, already governed by a 48-hour work week that is high by global standards, finds itself tethered to devices that blur the line between duty and downtime. The bill is an attempt to restore that distinction by granting workers the right to disengage from calls, emails, texts and other forms of communication once their workday ends. Crucially, it protects employees from disciplinary action if they choose not to respond, signalling a shift in how the law views the balance between productivity and well-being.
The proposal outlines a clear framework for this balance. It recognises the inevitability of genuine emergencies and therefore mandates the creation of committees to establish mutually agreed rules for contact outside working hours. Employers may reach out in exceptional situations, but only during pre-negotiated periods, ensuring predictability and preventing arbitrary intrusion. The bill goes further by stating that if an employee chooses to work beyond designated hours, they should be compensated through overtime pay at the normal wage rate-a clause that emphasises that excess labour is not an act of devotion but additional work deserving remuneration. By recommending a penalty amounting to one per cent of total employee remuneration for organisations that violate the right to disconnect, the legislation attempts to give teeth to a principle long discussed but rarely enforced. What makes this proposal timely is the growing body of research linking digital overexposure to sleep deprivation, burnout, emotional fatigue, and telepressure, the compulsion to respond instantly. The digital economy has brought unprecedented flexibility, but it has also created a culture where employees feel compelled to be permanently available, often at the cost of their mental and physical health. The bill acknowledges this paradox by treating excessive communication as a structural concern rather than a matter of individual discipline.
In many ways, the Right to Disconnect Bill is less about restricting employers and more about restoring equilibrium in a labour market transformed by technology. Remote connectivity, once seen as a liberating tool, has morphed into an always-on expectation that chips away at family life, rest cycles and the psychological distance needed to sustain productivity. The updated version of Supriya Sule's earlier 2019 proposal reflects a renewed urgency to address the cumulative toll of info-obesity and constant monitoring made possible by digital tools. At a time when workplaces increasingly pride themselves on agility and responsiveness, the bill challenges the notion that responsiveness must extend into every waking hour. It asks whether a country that seeks to expand its economic horizons can afford a workforce drained by unending connectivity and shrinking personal space. The debate it sparks goes beyond legislative boundaries and into the cultural fabric of corporate India, where overwork is often worn as a badge of honour and where silence outside working hours is treated as negligence. By codifying the right to disconnect, India has the opportunity to send a clear signal: that efficiency cannot come at the cost of exhaustion, that technology must serve people rather than overwhelm them, and that a sustainable economy is built on the health and dignity of its workers. If passed, the legislation could mark a pivotal moment in redefining modern labour rights in a digitised era, pushing India to recognise that true productivity thrives not in relentless availability but in the space that allows workers to rest, reset and return with clarity.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.