Why Employees Need the Right to Disconnect

Fifteen countries now give employees a legal right to disconnect after hours, allowing workers to step away from work communications and focus on life outside the office. In the United States, similar efforts have stalled: legislation introduced in California, New Jersey, New York City and Washington has not become law.

Yet the problem these proposals address is significant for U.S. workers and employers alike. More than half of U.S. workers report feeling burned out. Burnout is estimated to cost companies millions each year, reaching as much as $21,000 per employee in the U.S., according to one study from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

That makes after-hours boundaries more than a personal preference; they’re also a response to a costly workplace challenge. Employees who feel expected to keep checking email or responding to messages may struggle to protect time away from work. While U.S. companies may not have a legal mandate to establish a right to disconnect, leaders can still create that expectation in their own workplaces. Clear boundaries can help employees step away without worrying that doing so means they are failing their responsibilities.

Model the Behavior You Expect

It’s one thing to tell your team to disconnect after hours; it’s another to do it yourself. When leaders send late-night emails while urging employees to protect their evenings, their actions suggest that work-life balance is not a genuine priority. Praising people for working long hours or sacrificing personal time to meet deadlines sends a similar message: that a good employee never needs to push back or recharge.

As a CEO, I understand the pressure to stay connected. But I also know I need to resist it—for my own sanity and for everyone who works with me. Each year, I take time off to fully unplug on my family’s olive farm in Turkey. My employees also saw me take three months of leave after the birth of my second child. And it’s rare for anyone to receive an email from me on a weekend.

My company matters to me, but stepping back gives me the space to do my job well. The same should be true for employees. Leaders make that expectation credible not just by encouraging people to log off, but by showing that they do so themselves.

Put After-Hours Boundaries in Writing

Modeling the behavior you expect is important, but good intentions alone may not be enough to counter an always-on culture. France became the first country to enact right-to-disconnect laws in 2017. The law required businesses to define normal working hours and protected employees’ rights to be unreachable once the workday ended.

There may be no equivalent law in the U.S., but companies can still set clear rules for after-hours communication. A written policy can answer practical questions: What counts as a genuine emergency? Who may contact whom after hours, and why? What happens when someone repeatedly ignores the boundary?

Putting those answers in writing reduces confusion and ambiguity. Employees shouldn’t have to wonder whether they’re neglecting their duties by not leaving a family dinner or soccer game to answer an email. Clear boundaries make expectations explicit—and help employees feel secure in disconnecting when the workday is over.

How Disconnecting Helps Teams Thrive

The case for disconnecting is simple: highly engaged teams see less absenteeism, lower turnover and greater productivity. Burned-out teams show the opposite. Giving people space to rest isn’t just a personal benefit; it supports healthier outcomes for the team as a whole.

Employees are stressed about their jobs and can feel pressure to keep performing even when they need rest. Clear after-hours boundaries help address that pressure by making expectations explicit. When employees know they are not expected to answer work communications outside working hours, they don’t have to wonder whether stepping away means neglecting their duties.

Putting a right to disconnect into company policy sends a direct message: employees’ time outside work belongs to them. That clarity can ease the strain of feeling always on and help people genuinely disconnect in the evenings, on weekends, when they’re sick or on vacation. By respecting that time, leaders can create an environment where employees have room to recharge—and where teams are better positioned to thrive.