California's Proposed "Right to Disconnect" Law for Workers
April 3, 2024
California has proposed Assembly Bill 2751, which would give California employees the "right to disconnect" when they leave the office. The proposed law would require employers to do the following:
Establish a workplace policy that provides employees the right to disconnect from communications from the employer during nonworking hours.
Have written agreements in place with employees establishing nonworking hours.
Contact employees during nonworking hours only in cases of emergencies.
The bill defines the "right to disconnect" to mean that, except for an emergency or for scheduling, an employee has the right to ignore communications from the employer during nonworking hours. The bill also authorizes employees to file a complaint with the Labor Commissioner if the employers violate the law three or more times.
AB 2751 has been referred to the Assembly Labor Committee and will be heard in the coming weeks.