LABOUR RELATIONS COUNCIL GUIDELINES TO ENSURE THE RIGHT TO DIGITAL DISCONNECTION

Good Practice

Working Time

LABOUR RELATIONS COUNCIL GUIDELINES TO ENSURE THE RIGHT TO DIGITAL DISCONNECTION

Reference document prepared by the Labour Relations Council of Catalonia (Consell de Relacions Laborals de Catalunya), offering guidelines and best practices for companies and organisations to ensure the right to digital disconnection, with the aim of preserving rest time, health, and work-life balance for employees.

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Spain

Local policy

POLICY OBJECTIVE

Guarantee the right to digital disconnection for all employees, including managerial staff.
Ensure respect for rest periods, leave, and holidays, as well as personal and family privacy.
Prevent psychosocial risks linked to hyperconnectivity and digital fatigue.
Provide companies and organisations with a practical and consensus-based guide for developing internal digital disconnection policies

CONTEXT

The digitalisation and expansion of remote work have blurred the boundaries between working time and personal time, increasing the risk of overload and digital fatigue. In response to this challenge, the Labour Relations Council (CRL), as a social dialogue body, reached a consensus on the need for specific guidelines to regulate and guarantee the right to digital disconnection in Catalonia.

POLICY DESCRIPTION

The document establishes a common framework for companies and organisations. It includes:

A procedure for developing a digital disconnection policy, with participation from both unions and employers.
Scope of application and modalities for exercising the right.
Specific measures to limit communications outside working hours, regulate meetings, and foresee justified exceptions.
Training and awareness-raising actions for staff.
Mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the policy.
The aim is to provide a practical guide that organizations can adapt to their context and sector, helping to consolidate a healthier and more equitable time culture.

KEY ASPECTS

Document developed and agreed upon within the framework of social dialogue, with institutional, union, and employer participation.
Includes concrete examples and best practices (email scheduling, notification systems, protocols for urgent communications).
Linked to SDGs 5, 8, and 10 (gender equality, decent work, and reduction of inequalities).
A transferable and applicable tool for other regions and institutions.
The document is available in both Spanish and English versions.

RESULTS

Publication of the Guidelines in October 2023 as a reference document at the Catalonia level.
Dissemination among business organisations, trade unions, and public administration.
Consolidation of the Labour Relations Council as a stable framework for dialogue on working time.
Participation in the Summer School of Time within the “Time, Health and Habits” space, where these Guidelines were presented.

Policy's Website

Clara

Centeno

Officer of Equality

claracenteno@gencat.cat