No10 defends bid to present Brits ‘proper to modify off’ and ignore bosses

Downing Street today defended plans to empower staff to ignore messages from bosses outside office hours.

Prior to the general election, Labour pledged to give employees the ‘right to switch off’ so that working from home ‘does not result in homes turning into 24/7 offices’.

They vowed to copy countries such as Belgium and Ireland, which allow workers to avoid emails, texts and phone calls received out of hours, without fear of reprisals.

Following Labour’s election win, No10 this morning confirmed the new Government was exploring such plans but denied it would turn the UK into a nation of ‘clock watchers’.

Labour’s bid to introduce sweeping new workers’ rights – being spearheaded by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner – has led to a furious backlash from businesses and the Tories.

But a spokesman for PM Sir Keir Starmer insisted the proposals could increase productivity in Britain as workers ‘need to be able to switch off’.

Prior to the general election, Labour vowed to copy countries such as Belgium and Ireland, which allow workers to avoid emails, texts and phone calls received out of hours

A spokesman for PM Sir Keir Starmer insisted the proposals could increase productivity in Britain as workers ‘need to be able to switch off’

Labour’s bid to introduce sweeping new workers’ rights – being spearheaded by Deputy PM Angela Rayner – has led to a furious backlash from businesses and the Tories

The No10 spokeswoman confirmed ministers were examining models that ‘support productivity and work flexibility’ but stressed it would be down to individual employers to act.

‘The Government is committed to making work pay and ensuring that working people are protected from exploitative practices and also are supported to ensure that employers are assisting them to be as productive as possible,’ she said.

‘We know that, and indeed good employers understand that, for workers to stay motivated they need to be able to switch off.

‘That is good for productivity but of course situations may vary and people work in different fields and there are circumstances where people do need to be contacted out of hours.

‘That is why there is wider work looking at this issue and different models that we have seen in different countries and looking at this issue more broadly.’

Asked if they were worried that they would create a nation of ‘clock-watchers’, the spokeswoman added: ‘No, we understand that it is good for people to be able to switch off, that is positive for productivity and that is the driving motivator here.’

According to the i newspaper, the Government’s plans will come in the form of non-binding guidance in a new code of practice for businesses, rather than a law change, while there will be industries where it will not apply. 

The change was welcomed by Paul Novak, the TUC general secretary, who told the newspaper: ‘No one should be pushed to the brink because of their job.

‘Ever increasing hours, pace and expectations at work are causing problems up and down the country. This is a recipe for burnt out Britain.’

Sir Keir unveiled Labour‘s controversial workers’ rights policies during the King’s Speech, promising the right to flexible working from ‘day one’, where possible.

The measure also aims to give workers immediate access to sickness and parental leave, ban zero-hour contracts, and provide protection from unfair dismissal. 

The PM said he wanted to ‘unlock growth and take the brakes off Britain’.

But he has been warned that a radical package of employment rights championed by Ms Rayner could have the opposite effect. 

The plan – dubbed the ‘Red Revolution’ – also rewards Labour’s union paymasters by scrapping a string of anti-strike laws and ‘removing unnecessary restrictions on trade union activity’.

New equality laws will also force firms to provide the Government with an annual audit of how much ethnic minority and disabled workers are paid.

Shadow business secretary Kevin Hollinrake told the Daily Mail the proposals would mean ‘business closures and job losses’.

‘Making flexible working the default and requiring employers to accommodate it is a work from home charter but also, and very significantly, it switches the decision on how and where people work from the employer to the worker,’ he said.

‘More red tape from a classic socialist, big state government, which will stifle economic growth and lead to business closures and job losses.’

Former Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg said: ‘The UK has had a productivity problem for 30 years made worse by the move to working from home.

‘Employers will not risk creating new jobs if Labour creates an idlers’ charter which will reduce opportunities for all workers.’

Tom Clougherty, director of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said the ‘stack of new regulations on the labour market will reduce flexibility and increase structural unemployment’.