US EditionRight to Disconnect Laws for Small Business Workers Begin
From August 26, 5.4 million Australian small business employees gain legal protections to disconnect from work outside hours and convert casual roles to permanent employment.
- On August 26, small business employees gained the right to refuse unreasonable after-hours work contact, while from August 26, 2025 eligible casuals can request conversion via the employee choice pathway, affecting 5.4 million Australians in small businesses with under 15 employees.
- After a 12-month grace period the government extends the right to disconnect and conversion rules to small businesses, following big businesses' use of the employee choice pathway last year under Fair Work Act amendments in a broader workplace reform package.
- A casual employee can file a written conversion request, with the employer required to respond within 21 days; the Fair Work Commission mediates disputes and employers face $18,000 penalties for adverse actions.
- Small business owners now face operational challenges around staff availability and expectations, with only days to meet the implementation deadline for 2.5 million small businesses, amid emerging policy and remuneration debates.
- Research from Robert Half finds 93% of Australian employers have implemented measures supporting the right to disconnect, with 77% noting improved wellbeing and 56% receiving formal requests; Western Australia leads with 78% formal concerns.
12 Articles
12 Articles
5 million small business employees now have a right to disconnect from work unless it’s ‘unreasonable’. What does that mean?
Mart Production/Pexels, CC BYFrom August 26, 5.4 million Australians working for small businesses will have the “right to disconnect”. This means they can refuse contact about work – such as emails, texts or calls – outside work hours, unless that refusal could be considered “unreasonable”. The right to disconnect has been in place for medium and large Australian organisations since August last year. But it’s now extending to small businesses wi…
Why today changes everything about contacting your team after 5 pm
Right to disconnect laws hit small businesses 26 August, giving employees legal power to ignore after-hours contact. Are you prepared? What’s happening: Right to disconnect laws extend to small business employees from 26 August 2025, giving them legal power to refuse monitoring, reading or replying to after-hours contact unless refusal is unreasonable. Why this matters: Small businesses have just days to implement policies and cultural changes t…
Starting August 26, new rules allowing employees to cut off contact with their employers after get off work will apply to small businesses with fewer than 15 employees. The Small Business Ombudsman warned that this could place unnecessary burdens on small business owners.
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