California Lawmakers Introduce Bill for Employee Protections Outside of Work Hours

Debarylife – If employees in California decide not to respond to company emails or calls when they’re not in the office, they may be protected by a recently proposed measure.

According to the measure, an employee has the freedom to ignore communications from their employer when they are not in the office.

Seona Lampman, who worked in the pharmaceutical industry for almost thirty years, stated that in an emergency, she was fine with her company getting in touch with her.

A resident of Morro Bay named Seona Lampman remarked, “We’d like to turn off the emails and all that if possible. I didn’t mind managers getting in touch with us if something was urgent on the weekends.”

A public or private employer would be required under the bill to set up a workplace policy regarding communication during off-peak hours. Some people disagree.

Owner of Treasures Antique Mall Mary Vanzee declared, “It’s my business if I want to call my employee, my helper, or any of my vendors.”

According to Mary Vanzee, her staff members are treated properly and are like family. “You are aware that we have a deep concern for our vendors as well as our employees. We constantly check in with them to see if they’re feeling well.

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The bill lists a few exceptions, such as in the case of an emergency or when scheduling is discussed. Establishing nonworking hours would necessitate a formal written agreement between the company and the employee. Some claim there’s no true need for it.

I’m not sure if a bill or anything like this is necessary. “I believe there is room for improvement for both the staff and management,” stated Lampman.

Should a violation occur, the measure permits an employee to report it to the labor commissioner, who will then impose a certain civil penalty. Should the bill be approved, California would provide the first “right to disconnect” for workers nationwide.

The Assembly Labor Committee will hear the “right to disconnect” bill in the upcoming weeks.