Right to Disconnect – What It Means for Small Business

Published on 14 August 2025

From 26 August 2025, the Right to Disconnect rules will apply to small businesses. Employees will have the right to refuse to monitor, read, or respond to work contact outside their usual hours — unless it’s unreasonable to do so.

It’s not about banning after-hours calls or messages. It’s about finding a balance between keeping the business running and respecting personal time.

So, what’s “unreasonable”? It depends on the urgency of the matter, the nature of the employee’s role, any entitlements already included in their pay, and personal circumstances like family commitments or study. A simple test is: If it was you, would you think it’s fair to respond right now?

There are a few practical steps you can take:

• Understand the rules – visit fairwork.gov.au/right-to-disconnect for the facts.
• Talk with your team – agree on what genuinely needs an after-hours response and what can wait.
• Set clear signals – decide how to contact employees and how they’ll know when it’s urgent.
• Review regularly – update arrangements when roles or circumstances change.

Myths are already circulating — such as “you can never contact an employee after hours” or “on-call staff don’t need to respond”. These aren’t true. The key is open conversation, shared expectations, and documenting your agreements.

Failing to follow the rules can lead to disputes, penalties, and higher staff turnover. But working together with your employees can strengthen your team, boost wellbeing, and keep your business thriving.

The Fair work commission has also produced a helpful video that talks about the news rules and how they relate to small businesses:

More information: 

Visit: fairwork.gov.au/right-to-disconnect

or call 13 13 94.