Kerala has proposed a groundbreaking ‘Right to Disconnect’ Bill aimed at protecting private sector employees from work demands outside official hours, allowing them to ignore calls, emails, and video meetings once the workday ends.
On the other end, we have IT industry pioneer Narayana Murthy, who has advocated for a demanding 70-hour workweek, emphasising that such a schedule should be a personal choice, not an obligation. This sharp contrast highlights the ongoing debate about work-life balance and personal freedom. These two perspectives sit at opposite ends of the spectrum, underscoring the critical conversation about the future of work culture.
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In today’s digital world, work often spills over into personal time through endless emails, messages, calls, and video meetings demanding attention long after the clock ticks off. Kerala is stepping up with the proposed ‘Right to Disconnect Bill 2025’, aiming to give private sector employees a legal shield against these after-hours intrusions.
This bill would empower workers to ignore work communications outside their official hours without fear of penalties like demotion or firing. The move comes in response to rising burnout, stress, and other dilemmas where employees feel pressured to stay plugged in around the clock. The COVID-19 pandemic only deepened this blurring of boundaries between work and home. Kerala’s initiative acknowledges these modern challenges and aims to restore balance in a connected, but overworked, world.
Listen to Viresh Vazirani, a marketing expert, on the practicality of the bill: “It’s well-intentioned but hard to execute in every industry. In marketing or tech, where projects run on dynamic timelines, strict disconnect hours can break momentum and cause negative effects. What we need more is respect for boundaries, not rigid laws.”
“Productivity doesn’t come from longer hours; it comes from better recovery and focus. If employees are expected to stay connected 24/7, it eventually leads to burnout, mental fatigue, and reduced creativity,” noted Sachin Sutar, a working professional based in Velha.
While many are advocates of working overtime, in the end, it is all about personal choices and priorities. If you feel mentally and physically fit and are passionate enough to spend prolonged hours on your work, then we cannot precisely comment on it, as it is a personal choice.
Sachin said, “If someone personally chooses to work longer because they are passionate about what they do, that’s different, but it should never be an obligation.”
According to Sachin, the overtime logic may make sense, but when companies do not offer extra incentives, it becomes unfair. Until governments make laws or provide labour protections, employees are not legally protected. At the same time, with AI tools, companies can save employee time and help them maintain a better balance.
