A bill currently proposed in the province of Ontario could become the landmark legislation that will provide workers with an improved work-life balance. The said bill aims to allow the employees to totally “disconnect” from their respective workplaces, particularly during their downtime.
Given the name “Working for Workers Act, 2021,” the bill is primarily crafted to encourage the putting up of policies that will help employees in various industries to get more out of their breaks, holidays, and similar pauses in work.
If passed, the Working for Workers Act, 2021 bill is expected to instigate a positive change concerning common yet—to some extent—draining workplace practices like employees presumed to answer emails immediately or having to turn on their out-of-office notifications when they aren’t available. Notably, the bill is designed for workplaces that have 25 employees and up.
According to Monday’s press release on Ontario’s website, the Working for Workers Act, 2021 bill was established to support the residents of the province who are still adapting to work-from-home arrangements due to the pandemic. These arrangements typically blur the boundaries between the duties and obligations in the workplace from those of the family home.
Interestingly, the bill is also expected to eliminate non-compete agreements, preventing an employee from finding work after leaving a particular company. A non-compete agreement is defined as a legal agreement or clause in a contract specifying that an employee must not compete with an employer after the employment period is over.
