BusinessTech reports that other countries may be placing legislative barriers on after-work emails, but this is not the case in SA – for now.

Generally, office hours in SA are between 9am and 5pm, but many employees receive emails after these hours or on the weekend. According to a US study, it’s not the amount of time spent on work emails that drive exhaustion but anticipatory stress, namely a state of anxiety due to perceived threats. Employees are thus unable to disconnect and feel exhausted no matter how much time is spent on after-hours emails. However, SA’s Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) and Labour Relations Act do not allow for the right to disconnect. The BCEA does, however, afford some rights to those earning less than the R21,198 per month threshold, such as laying down ordinary hours of work, limiting overtime and prescribing daily and weekly rest periods. Asma Cachalia and Marco Neto from law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr report that the right to disconnect first emerged following a French Supreme Court ruling in October, which said that employees were not obligated to work from home outside of working hours. Several other countries, including Kenya, have all taken steps aimed at safeguarding employees’ right to disconnect. “As South Africa navigates the complexities of the modern workplace, embracing the right to disconnect represents a crucial step towards promoting employee well-being, enhancing productivity, and fostering sustainable employment relationships in the digital age,” Cachalia and Neto point out. They continue: “In anticipation of this shift, South African employers can take proactive steps implement policies that delineate expectations regarding communication outside of working hours, including contact by third parties such as customers.”

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luke Fraser at BusinessTech

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