MP Supriya Sule has introduced a private member’s Bill in the Lok Sabha seeking to give Indian employees the legal right to disconnect from work-related communication after office hours.
New Delhi: Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule has introduced “The Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025”, a private member’s Bill aimed at ensuring a healthier work-life balance for employees across India.
The Bill proposes that every employee be granted the right to disconnect from work-related electronic communication outside office hours, including emails, calls, and messages. It also prescribes a sanction of 1% of an organisation’s total employee remuneration for non-compliance.
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Sule argued that the increasing dependence on digital tools has blurred the boundaries between personal and professional life, contributing to burnout, sleep deprivation, emotional exhaustion, and a phenomenon described as “telepressure”. The Bill cites studies indicating that constant monitoring of work messages can strain cognitive capacity, potentially leading to what researchers term “info-obesity”.
The legislation maintains that employees’ personal space must be protected and that companies should negotiate out-of-hours communication rules with staff to accommodate varying work cultures. It also highlights the impact of digital transformation on employment terms, emphasising the need for overtime pay when work is undertaken outside regular hours.
The Bill provides for counselling to raise awareness about the healthy use of digital tools and suggests the establishment of digital detox centres to help workers reduce digital overload. Sule stated that the proposal aims to safeguard employee welfare by formally recognising the right to disconnect and by ensuring a balance between individual rights and organisational needs.
Alongside this Bill, Sule introduced two other private member’s Bills: “The Paternity and Paternal Benefits Bill, 2025”, which seeks to introduce paid paternal leave, and “The Code on Social Security (Amendment) Bill, 2025”, which proposes recognising gig and platform workers as a separate category with access to minimum wages, regulated work hours, and social security measures. Several other MPs also introduced private member’s Bills in the Lok Sabha.
Supriya Sule’s Right to Disconnect Bill aims to legally protect employees from the expectation of being available around the clock, a trend intensified by digital technologies and remote working practices. The Bill states that excessive work communication outside office hours contributes to stress, emotional exhaustion, and disrupted personal life, affecting overall well-being.
The proposal underlines that parenting styles or personal choices do not influence the need for boundaries; rather, evolving workplace systems demand clear rules. It stresses that flexibility is essential and that individual companies should define work-hour extension terms through negotiation with employees. Overtime pay at the standard rate is recommended when employees choose to work beyond regular hours.
The Bill also emphasises counselling services and digital detox centres as supportive measures for managing digital overload. It argues that these initiatives will empower workers, reduce burnout, and support inclusive working environments. Sule’s additional Bills on paternal leave and gig workers aim to modernise employment policies and strengthen social protections.
(With PTI inputs)
Published: 06 Dec 2025, 02:15 pm IST
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