Supriya Sule Reintroduces “Right to Disconnect” Bill to Protect Employee Work-Life Balance
The new “Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025” seeks to give Indian workers the legal right to ignore work calls, emails and messages after office hours.
Pune |08 December 2025: A fresh push for work-life balance in India’s workplaces: Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule has reintroduced the “Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025,” aiming to give employees legal freedom to refuse work-related calls, messages, and emails beyond official hours or on holidays. The legislation intends to shield workers from digital burnout and make after-hours availability optional, not mandatory.
Under the proposed law, employees would no longer be bound to respond to any form of work communication once their duty hours end. This includes phone calls, emails, messages, video calls or texts. Importantly, refusal to respond would not trigger any disciplinary action. Instead, the Bill sets out a structured mechanism for companies and workers to negotiate mutually agreed-upon rules for emergency contact and overtime, aiming to preserve proper personal time for individuals.
To oversee compliance, the Bill proposes the formation of an “Employees’ Welfare Authority.” This authority would conduct baseline studies to gauge after-hours digital communication pressure, mandate that companies with more than ten workers negotiate out-of-hours communication norms with staff or unions, and ensure overtime pay if workers voluntarily work extra hours. The legislation also envisions frameworks such as counselling services and digital-detox centres to support overall mental and emotional wellbeing.
The rationale behind the Bill reflects growing concern over the demands of a constantly connected work environment. With remote working, smartphones, and global teams becoming widespread, many employees report stress, sleep disruption, and emotional exhaustion — problems linked to incessant digital engagement. Proponents argue that the law would help restore healthy boundaries between professional and personal life, reduce burnout and safeguard mental health.
If enacted, the Bill would mark a significant shift in India’s labor norms. It formalizes what many employees currently expect informally: the ability to “switch off” when office hours end. The demand is not only among corporate professionals; across sectors, workers often find themselves responding to after-hours messages, missing meals or rest, and sacrificing personal time due to work pressures. This law could bring legal clarity and protection.
At the same time, skeptics note potential challenges. For industries operating across time zones, emergency services, or businesses with irregular hours, rigid after-hours boundaries might be difficult to enforce. There are also questions around implementation — especially ensuring companies actually abide by the rules, and that employees feel safe to insist on their rights without retaliation through informal means.
In any case, the reintroduction of this bill signals a growing recognition in Parliament that in a rapidly digitizing workplace, mental health and personal boundaries deserve legal protection. Whether the Bill becomes law or not, it puts work-life balance, employee well-being, and respect for personal time firmly on the national agenda.
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