Disconnecting from Work: Assessing the Concept and Regulatory Implementation

The information and communication technology (ICT) applications impact people's daily lives. As a result of advances in communication technologies and the applications of the ICT, smartphones, e-mail, and social media, the works have never ended although the workday has supposed to be over. Simply said, workers nowadays find it difficult to escape from work. The traditional way of working and normal working hour is no more the same but transformed into an organization of modern work, a hybrid form of work, remote-working or whatever terminology that they may call. Subsequently, the concept of the "right to disconnect" (RTD) has developed whereby the law looks at this as the right of employees not to be disturbed while outside their working hours. The article intends to discuss the concept of RTD and the necessities of laws that are dealing with this matter. Using a conceptual approach, this work analyses the secondary sources, particularly scholarly works on the RTD concept and the relevant regulations. As a close note, employers must ensure the application of RTD to the employees to avoid any adverse circumstances as well as to support a healthy and well-being environment of work. JEL Codes: Keywords: right to disconnect, employee wellbeing, employment, regulatory, working hours.