We’ve all been there, logged off for the day, only to be pulled back in by a late-night email or an unexpected work call. For many employees, switching off after hours remains more a hope than a reality. That’s where the Right to Disconnect comes in, a policy that gives employees the legal right to ignore work-related communication (like emails, calls, and messages) beyond official working hours without fear of penalty.
Originally introduced to tackle the growing intrusion of work into personal life, especially during the pandemic, the law has already made its way in countries like France, Ireland, and Australia. While India has yet to formally implement such legislation nationwide, the conversation around it is gaining momentum.
In this article, we explore what the Right to Disconnect means, how it’s being adopted globally, where India stands today, and what forward-looking companies are doing, both within and beyond policy to redefine boundaries and protect employee well-being in an always-on work culture.
What Is The Right to Disconnect And Why It Matters More Than Ever
The Right to Disconnect India law allows employees to ignore work messages after hours, meaning employers can’t penalize them or treat it as misconduct if they don’t respond. While India currently has no formal law recognizing this right, in 2018, MP Supriya Sule introduced a Private Member’s Bill proposing the Right to Disconnect. The bill suggested penalties like 1% of total employee remuneration for non-compliant organizations, along with initiatives like counselling services to raise awareness about digital boundaries and the creation of digital detox centres to help employees disconnect and reclaim personal time. Unfortunately, the Bill was never taken up for discussion in Parliament.
For India, this policy is more important than ever and for several compelling reasons:
- Burnout culture: With remote work, constant connectivity, and a hustle-driven culture, many Indian employee tend to overlook the importance of maintaining work-life balance, leading to rising stress and burnout. The tragic 2024 death of 26-year-old Anna Sebastian Perayil, an EY India employee just months into her role, brought these issues into the spotlight. Her mother linked the incident to excessive workload and pressure, reigniting urgent calls for workplace reform.
- Unpaid overtime: Moreover, unpaid overtime is a common issue in India, particularly in the private sector and certain industries like IT. In March 2025, hundreds of IT employees gathered at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park to protest against excessive working hours, unpaid overtime, and the absence of strong legal safeguards in the sector. While Indian labour laws, including various state-specific Shops and Establishments Acts, are meant to protect employee rights by setting limits on work hours and requiring overtime pay, many companies in the IT and ITES sectors find ways to sidestep these rules. They often exploit legal loopholes and rely on the fact that many employees are unaware of their rights. A common practice is to discourage staff from reporting or accurately logging their overtime hours. In the absence of a legal framework like the Right to Disconnect or overtime policy, such practices are likely to go unchecked. Note: Under the Shops and Establishments Act, working hours are generally capped at 48 hours per week.
- Lack of grievance resolution: Many Indian workplaces lack effective channels for employees to report overwork or unfair demands without fear of retaliation. Without formal support systems, workers often stay silent. A Right to Disconnect law would empower them to set clear boundaries and push back against unreasonable expectations.
Companies Pushing For No Overtime Culture
While the debate around work hours in India and overtime continues year after year, a few companies are taking a stand against the culture of overwork by encouraging employees to log off after office hours and refrain from engaging in any work-related communication.
- In 2018, a leaked email revealed that Amit Agarwal, then head of Amazon India, urged colleagues not to respond to emails or take calls after 6 p.m., and stated that no business decisions should be made between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. He framed the move as a step toward promoting “work-life harmony” and emphasized the importance of setting boundaries between work and personal life. However, the email did not appear to be an official company directive, as Amazon declined to comment when approached by The Economic Times.
- Infosys recently found itself in the spotlight after founder Narayana Murthy’s widely debated remark urging young professionals to work 70 hours a week. Interestingly, the company seems to be taking a different path when it comes to employee well-being. Starting July 2025, Infosys began sending warning emails to employees who work beyond 9 hours and 15 minutes in a day. Using its internal time-tracking and attendance systems, the company daily monitors the corporate employee work hours. When an employee exceeds the set limit, an automated email is trigerred. It appears that the IT giant now recognises its responsibility to protect employees from burnout and workplace stress.
- In a similar effort, Motilal Oswal Group has implemented a distinctive “Switch-Off from Work” policy, encouraging employees to disconnect from work and emails outside their designated 8 to 8.5-hour shift.To enforce this, the company disables its email servers after working hours, preventing both internal and external communication. The policy applies to approximately 9,500 of the company’s 11,000 employees, including senior managers and junior staff.
Final Thoughts
While the “Right to Disconnect” movement is gaining momentum, what we’re witnessing suggests that India still has a long way to go in fully adopting this policy or enforcing a strict stance against excessive working hours. Forward-looking organisations are beginning to act, but much of the change remains surface-level.
What employers can and must do now is take proactive steps to safeguard employee well-being not just by rolling out policies that look good on paper, but by ensuring they translate into meaningful, everyday practices. Ultimately, it’s about building a more humane, balanced, and sustainable workplace, one where productivity does not come at the cost of health and humanity. And as conversations around mental health at workplace and burnout grow louder, we can only hope this isn’t just a performative trend, but the beginning of lasting cultural change.
