Right-to-Disconnect Bill Defeated

California’s right-to-disconnect bill, which SHRM opposed, has been shelved. The legislation has been “held under suspense” by the California State Assembly Committee on Appropriations, meaning that the bill has effectively been defeated for the remainder of the 2023-2024 California legislative session.

California Assembly Bill 2751 would have required employers to establish workplace policies that provide employees with the right to disconnect from communications from the employer during nonworking hours, said Chris Micheli, a founding partner of Snodgrass & Micheli in Sacramento, Calif. The bill would have granted a right for employees to ignore communications outside of work hours except for in an emergency or for scheduling. 

“There is little doubt that there are situations in which a limited number of employers abuse their ability to contact employees during nonworking time, but this legislation attempts to address the issue in a manner that would unnecessarily tie employers’ hands and adversely affect business in California,” said Joe Beachboard, an attorney with Beachboard Consulting Group in Palos Verdes, Calif.

Source(s): SHRM, received on May 29, 2024.