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Australia to allow workers to ignore after-hours calls from bosses (www.reuters.com)
submitted 10 months ago by RandAlThor@lemmy.ca to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml
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[-] lamabop 53 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Fucking dumb headline - what the the fuck do they mean "allow"?

I'm Australian. No cunt I know is picking up their phone after hours if it's their boss, unless they're working in some on call or executive job that explicitly requires - and PAYS - for that.

Just don't answer your phone dickheads

[-] Cypher@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago

Seems you don’t work in a professional field, extra hours and being available is the norm for many professionals.

This change is necessary.

[-] CordanWraith@aussie.zone 10 points 10 months ago

The change is necessary for sure, but the person you're replying to was making the point that the 'allow' in the title is silly. Because it implies that it was previously legally forbidden to refuse a call from your boss.

Your work environment may be shitty (I work in a professional environment as well and no way am I answering to anyone outside of my hours) but that doesn't mean the law is forcing you to answer the phone.

So yeah, good law, bad title.

[-] explodicle@local106.com 6 points 10 months ago

It means they'll put you under the microscope and keep changing your shifts instead of honestly firing you for not picking up.

[-] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 24 points 10 months ago

This means nothing without enforcement. I already know how this'll play out.

[-] AdamEatsAss@lemmy.world 14 points 10 months ago

I don't understand what you mean? If someone is fired for not taking a call in their off time they would file a complaint/sue (I don't know how the Australian legal system works).

[-] thesystemisdown@lemmy.world 36 points 10 months ago

I doubt not taking the call is what the paperwork would reflect.

[-] Teotwawki@lemmy.ml 8 points 10 months ago

Yeah, here in the US almost every state has "at will" employment, so any protections could really be circumvented by just firing a worker for whatever other reason (or no reason at all) they want. Hopefully labor has it better in the land down under.

[-] Nougat@kbin.social 11 points 10 months ago

In the meantime, the worker still has bills to pay and food to buy, and even a successful complaint or suit would still likely end with the worker either not being employed there going forward, or a very confrontational workplace.

[-] hddsx@lemmy.ca 21 points 10 months ago

Yeah, boss doesn’t need my personal number. If I need to be contacted after work, he can call a provided work phone. The work phone will remain in the office, or off after hours, unless noted within 3 days.

[-] shalafi@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

My boss has my personal number. Calls a few times a week, not sure he has much outside working hours, "working hours" being plenty flexible. Don't care. If he calls me right now (about midnight), I'm answering and helping with whatever he asks. And he wouldn't call unless a customer, internal or external, was having a real issue that needed resolved before morning.

"You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." He bends the company rules for me, I bend my rules for him. He treats me fairly, I reciprocate. LOL, our team has a private Slack channel that senior management (ironically including my boss), can't snoop on. (I'm the Slack admin. I can't see any private shit I'm not invited to.)

What must it be like "lawyering" every interaction with your employer? If you gotta do that, leave, leave quick. Feeling and acting like that tells me you got a toxic environment.

[-] QuarterSwede@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

And this attitude certainly gets you farther.

Had a peer, who has his masters degree, just get let go because he dug his heels in and refused to take on anything more that would help everyone share the load better without immediate higher compensation. (No, they don’t need to hire anyone else quite yet and he wasn’t really doing that much to begin with). The boss decided he didn’t like that attitude and put someone else in place with 1) more industry experience and 2) was willing to actually perform his full job function.

I’m 6 months in the industry (but have ops experience), have a bachelors in an unrelated field and am willing to learn and do more as needed to help support the team. I was specifically told that I wasn’t going anywhere because the state president likes my attitude and how I support my teams and those of my peers. Just got a nice sized bonus out of it too.

Morale: Don’t be the douchebag that doesn’t work well with others under the guise of it being abuse (it’s not).

[-] Lifecoach5000@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago

You love to see it! So does that mean that no positions will have an “on call” at all? - unless the compensation is that you’re paid 24/7?

[-] Rand0mA@lemmy.world 21 points 10 months ago

On call is paid for. This is unpaid extra hours. Expecting to be on call with no extra is bullshit. Its a good thing

[-] Lifecoach5000@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

Well wishful thinking on my part. Good for them though. I am always out of pocket as far as work is concerned unless I am on call for the week.

[-] datelmd5sum@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

I work totally elsewhere, but my union's collective agreement says that I get paid for 40% of my hourly wage each hour I'm on call. So 16 hours / day mon - fri, 24 hours / day sat - sun & public holidays. Extra compensations for calls in the middle of the night etc. also.

[-] QuarterSwede@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

I like this because it forces those in charge to evaluate how much they need to bother you. It’s speaking their language (money/profit). Ideally they won’t bother you unless it’s actually important and can’t wait, which means less calls. And when they do you feel compensated for them disturbing your time, which does have value.

[-] Zron@lemmy.world 8 points 10 months ago

Is Australia mainly contract employment?

I can’t imagine any other reason why you couldn’t just say that you shut your phone off when you get home.

If the building burnt down, I’ll find out when I get there in the morning.

[-] dRLY@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 10 months ago

That is true in how workers should be. I am not from Australia, but a lot of workers might feel pressure to answer for fear of some kind of actions (likely a higher chance of being written up for some other BS). While this pressure could still be felt and managers can always find reasons to go after anyone. I think that given the way that fucked up work practices have gotten worse (at least in my opinion), it is very important that shit like this be added to laws.

Any pro-worker protections that can help fill the gaps where unions are missing/lacking is good while capitalism is the way of the world. And of course should be some of the first laws and constitutional setups in all anti-capitalist states as personal times should be important and separate from work times. So in all states/nations there should be clear rights for workers and place lives before profits/jobs.

this post was submitted on 07 Feb 2024
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