Insight Topic: Right to Switch Off

If there is a broader cultural and market-practice shift around work-life balance across the U.K. over time, there could be a shift for lawyers, too, according to Ben Smith, a senior associate at specialist employment law firm Littler.

The Labour Party laid out its promises to introduce the "right to switch off" in it's Plan to Make Work Pay, which will likely involve a Code of Practice agreed by employers and employees, setting out expectations of normal working hours when staff should expect to be contacted.

It may also be more difficult for businesses to defend claims if they don't have a “right to switch off ” policy in place. Smith added that he expects the changes to have little day-to-day impact but that the “big unknown” is what the “teeth” of the policy will be.