'It just seems unnecessary, we don't need more workplace legislation,' EMA says
The Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) has called it "unnecessary" to introduce a right to disconnect law in New Zealand, similar to what has taken effect in Australia this week.
Alan McDonald, the EMA Head of Advocacy and Strategy, said he couldn't see the point of a right to disconnect law in New Zealand.
"Do we really need another piece of workplace legislation? We've got legislation that already covers these sorts of situations," he told the Morning Report.
"It just seems unnecessary; we don't need more workplace legislation, [as] we've got more than enough of it."
The Australian government implemented a right to disconnect law this week that allows employees to refuse out-of-hours contact from their employer unless that refusal is unreasonable.
According to McDonald, there are already laws that cover such situations in New Zealand.
"And the sort of behaviour you're talking about, a law on a bit of paper is not going to change that," he added.
'Turn your email off' to disconnect
To disconnect, McDonald also suggested different ways for employers and employees.
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"Just get your 12-year-old to programme your phone for you or laptop so that it will send [emails] at 8am instead of 3am," he told employers.
"You don't need another law; if you want to disconnect, turn this thing off. Turn your email off, you can do that."
Employers' opposition to the right to disconnect isn't unique to New Zealand, as employers in Australia also continue to criticise the newly implemented legislation.