New Delhi: A long-standing debate over work-life balance entered Parliament on 6 December as Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule introduced the Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025, a private member’s proposal seeking to give Indian employees the legal right to switch off from work after official hours.
The move echoes the famous labour slogan, “Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest and eight hours for what you will”, which shaped the modern eight-hour workday.
The Bill proposes that employees should not be required to respond to calls, emails or messages beyond designated working hours or on holidays and prescribes penalties for non-compliant employers. Organisations that breach these rules may face sanctions amounting to 1 per cent of their total employee remuneration.
Sule argues that while digital tools have improved flexibility, they have also normalised constant availability, contributing to sleep deprivation, emotional fatigue and what researchers describe as “telepressure” or “info-obesity”.
The draft legislation positions the right to disconnect as essential for mental health and personal space, while allowing companies the flexibility to negotiate terms suited to their work models.
It also mandates overtime pay at standard wage rates for any work done outside official hours and proposes an employees’ welfare authority, counselling services and digital detox centres to promote responsible technology use.
Alongside this, Sule introduced two other proposals the Paternity and Paternal Benefits Bill, 2025 and an amendment to classify gig workers as a distinct category under the Code on Social Security.
Sule’s proposal has added momentum to a global trend, with countries such as France, Portugal and Australia already adopting similar protections.
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